Kurama in Narutoland
by Toki Mirage
Summary: NARUTO YYH CROSSOVER! Kurama lives the life of a ninja! How will his presence in Narutoland ultimately affect the outcome of the world? YAOI WARNING. KuramaNeji Discontinued
1. Chapter One

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**Oyaho gozaimasu minna! It just occurred to me** (not two seconds ago)** that there are two foxes. Kyuubi and Youko. Therefore, I'm going to have a little fun...  
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**AND SO THE INSANENESS ENSUES!!** (Cheer for me, cheer for me) silence (Fine, don't, see if I care playful glare)  
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**Kurama in Narutoland**  
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Chapter One:  
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Kurama sighed as he stared out of his classroom window. Life was VERY boring. Ever since the Dark Tournament, missions had basically ENDED. Just like that. Kapoots. And because of this annoying fact, the youko hadn't had ANY fun for a whole MONTH!  
  
A soft sigh escaped his lips, and he absently wondered what the sensei was talking about. How should he know? He wasn't listening.  
  
"Mr. Minamino, can you please tell me what to much acid in your stomach can cause?" the sensei asked suddenly.  
  
Kurama blinked, and turned his attention away from the window. He wracked his mind for the answer, and found it quick enough. "An ulcer, sensei," he said politely.  
  
The sensei nodded his head with a small smile and began rambling on about the digestive system. Weren't they supposed to have learned this last year? Oh yeah, the sensei said it was a review. Oops.  
  
Not.  
  
He looked back to the window and watched as the green leaves swished and swirled, dancing in the wind. His eyes traced the movement, having nothing better to do, and already knowing everything that the sensei was talking about.  
  
'Why can't something exciting happen once in a while? And why has Yusuke been the only one to receive missions lately? If Koenma is trying to get on me and Hiei's good sides by relieving us of some of the load, then he's doing a shitty job of it...'  
  
The shrill sound of the bell blasted through the room. Or rather, it sounded like it blasted because of how sensitive Kurama's ears were.  
  
Kurama stood from his desk and put all his books away. Afterwards, he moved with the rest of the flow of students, all eager to get out of school as soon as possible. All except for Kurama. He couldn't really care when school ended for the day. After all, you had to get up again the next morning to go again. That was no fun. But then again, it was something to do, even if it was a boring something.  
  
Another soft sigh escaped the red haired boy when he arrived outside, only to face his rabid fangirls. THIS he hated even MORE than he hated Koenma (surprisingly).  
  
He hid in the large mass of bodies, trying to hide from the fangirls. Unfortunately, this attempt didn't work (did it ever?), for his bright mop of hair prevented any sort of escape.  
  
He tuned out the "Oh Shuiichi-kun, you're hair is to die for!" and the "I absolutely LOVE your eyes, Shuiichi-kun!" After all, he got the same treatment ever day, so why listen to it? It gets boring once in a while.  
  
"Shuiichi-kun, you are so handsome, would you go out with me?"  
  
Ack! He SWORE he had heard the EXACT SAME SENTENCE from that girl five times this week! Couldn't they AT LEAST come up with different ways to ask the same thing?!  
  
"I'm sorry girls, but I need to run. My mother is expecting me soon, alone, so that I can help her with the groceries. Mata ashita!" With that said, he ran off. Well, jogged off.  
  
When he arrived at home, he called out, "Tadaima!" When he was met with no 'okaeri' in return, he concluded that Okaa-san had gone out for a bit.  
  
Removing his shoes at the genkan, he placed them in the Getabako. He stepped up onto the wooden floor and went upstairs to his room.  
  
Placing his bag on his desk, he then plopped himself down on his bed.  
  
He stared up at the ceiling, trying to think of something to do. Coming up with nothing, and not willing to do his homework any time soon, he got up from his bed with every intention of visiting is best friend...  
  
Nature.  
  
Locking the house on his way out, Kurama made his way to the nearby park. Since the closest forest was a long walk away, and he was feeling rather lazy, Kurama just went to the park...  
  
The overly crowded park...  
  
The park that, at the moment, was the host of a rather annoying little 'carnival' of sorts...  
  
Kurama walked down the rows of little shops and games, wondering when in the world this carnival had arrived. Why hadn't he heard of it? Oh, wait, something was coming back to him... His mother had told him that a carnival had arrived in town a week ago...  
  
This must be it.  
  
Damn.  
  
A perfectly good idea ruined by humans.  
  
Uh oh, sounding too much like Hiei for his own good.  
  
Kurama shook the thoughts from his head and slipped through the carnival quick enough, to get the forested part of the park. To his absolute shock, he found a fox sitting in the middle of a small clearing, licking its paws. Didn't it realize how close by human activity was?  
  
"Well, kitsune, what are you doing out here at this time?" Kurama asked with a small smile at his half-kin.  
  
The fox, strangely, only looked at him, then ran off towards the other side of the small clearing. It looked back at him, as if beckoning him to follow.  
  
He did so, intrigued by the animal's strange behaviour.  
  
The fox lead him through the park, which was starting to look more and more like a forest by the second. Kurama didn't pay attention to this though, his curiosity getting the better of him. The fox was leading him to something, and Kurama wanted to know what.  
  
The fox once again stopped, this time, though, he was waiting beside a cave!  
  
Kurama blinked at the cave, thinking, 'I couldn't possibly be in the park anymore...'  
  
The fox ran inside, disappearing within the darkness.  
  
Kurama thought over the pros and cons of following this fox... In the end, he decided it was something to do, and jogged after the mysterious kitsune.  
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**For those who don't know Dictionary:**  
  
Ohayo gozaimasu – Good morning  
  
Ohayo – 'Morning (usually used among friends, being less polite)  
  
Minna – Everyone  
  
Sensei – Professor/Teacher  
  
Mata ashita – 'See you tomorrow', literally translated as 'again tomorrow'  
  
Tadaima – Said when one arrives at home (I'm home)  
  
Okaeri – Said to greet one who arrives home (Welcome home)  
  
Okaa-san – Mother  
  
Getabako – A cabinet that the family's shoes are put in.  
  
Genkan - Entrance


	2. Chapter Two

**Kurama in Narutoland**  
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Chapter Two:  
  
**YAOI WARNING.  
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_This story DOES contain yaoi. If you do not like that sort of thing, then stop while you can!   
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The darkness of the cave surrounded Kurama. He, unable to see very well, even with his demonic sight, felt his way through the cave.  
  
'What in the world is a cave doing in the middle of a PARK?' he asked himself, incredulously. Receiving no answer from the darkness, he continued on his way.  
  
A frown graced Kurama's beautiful face when the cave seemed to be leading him nowhere. Suddenly, a bright light shone at the far end of the tunnel, and Kurama rushed forth to breathe fresh air once again.  
  
He breathed out with a smile, then took a look at his surroundings.  
  
Where the hell was he exactly?  
  
...  
  
No answer yet again... Wait a minute... did he hear running water? Rushing forward, and finding he wasn't moving very fast, Kurama looked down on himself.  
  
"WHAT THE HELL?!" came out of his mouth before he could stop it. His usually calm exterior had shattered with the realization that he... had become... A CHILD! His body was smaller than Hiei's now! Just imagine the look on that demon's face when he saw Kurama in this predicament! He would never hear the end of it!  
  
Determined to NOT come within five hundred kilometers of Hiei in this state, Kurama set off into the bush, following the sound of water.  
  
Once he reached the cold-looking stream, Kurama took a good look at himself. Yep. He was officially 10 or so years old again. That sucked. Big time.  
  
Hm...  
  
Did he still have his old strength? He focused on his youki, and to his relief, he was just as powerful as he was before.  
  
Thank kami-sama.  
  
Deciding that standing around would get him no where, Kurama backtracked to the cave he came out of... only to find that it wasn't there. Imagine his chagrin.  
  
'What can I do now?' he asked himself with a small worried frown, 'I'm in a strange world, and young again.' For once, Kurama couldn't really come up with anything, since he didn't know the circumstances. And so, he settled for exploring this strange place.  
  
The sky darkened as the day went on, calling Kurama's attention to it. 'It's getting late... I should find a place to settle down for the night.'  
  
Finding a large tree, Kurama jumped up and sat down on the largest tree branch. He shut his eyes and prepared himself for a wary sleep. He didn't know what creatures lurked out in these strange woods, where trees were the size of two houses put together.  
  
----Next Day----  
  
He woke the next day to the sound of rustling leaves. Keeping his face smooth and breathing even, as if he were still asleep, Kurama listened carefully to the sound. It seemed to be a two-legged creature... climbing through the trees. With quite a bit of stealth, he added to himself.  
  
Kurama smelt the scent of human on the air, and gathered, from the sound, that it wasn't very far away. He kept still, pretending to be asleep, when the human landed on his branch. Opening his eyes just the tiniest of bits, he saw that the human was in a crouched position... and was wearing strange garb as well. A weird cloak. Interesting.  
  
----Kakashi Pov----  
  
He'd been doing his regular routine, being the ANBU that he was. Flitting through the forests surrounding the Hidden Leaf, looking for anything strange or any trespassers or spies in the area he was assigned to.  
  
Imagine his surprise when he found the most adorable looking child he'd ever seen, with bright red hair, sleeping on a large tree branch. His eyes softened the tiniest bit from behind his mask as he watched the innocent- looking boy sleep.  
  
Being slightly stealthy, Kakashi approached the child, to get a closer look. It seemed to be a girl. A very PRETTY girl. Now, don't think that Kakashi is a pedophile, because he isn't. Kakashi is attracted to very curvy and luscious women. NOT children. And we won't even go into the being attracted to men part either...  
  
Anyway... There was this very pretty redhead sleeping in a tree. Wouldn't YOU be curious? Well. Kakashi is for sure. But, being the gentlemen (yea rite), he gently shook the child awake.  
  
When the child opened her eyes, Kakashi was frozen by the amazing emerald green that graced him. Whoa. Make that a BEAUTIFUL child.  
  
----Kurama Pov----  
  
He was shook 'awake' by the strange person, and he opened his eyes to greet... A mask. How odd... Do all people in this world wear masks? He should ask that some time.  
  
Anyway. This person wore a mask... Wait a minute, did that thing have some semblance to an animal? Very weird.  
  
"What are you doing all alone in this forest, little one?" the man asked gently.  
  
Kurama blinked cutely for a moment, wondering what to say. Should he say that he's lost? Got no family? Hm... no family AND lost. Perfect. "I'm lost, sir," he said 'timidly'. He hoped this would work...  
  
"Where's your mother and father?"  
  
Score!  
  
"I don't have a mommy and daddy, sir. Who are you?" he said childishly.  
  
"Me? I'm an ANBU," Kakashi said, blinking beneath his mask. (Now, I'm not sure if Kakashi stopped being an ANBU after the war between Hidden Leaf and the Kyuubi, or if he stopped before or after that. He will be an ANBU for now, in my story, and retire later, k? K, it works. ')  
  
"Nice to meat you, Anbu."  
  
"Uh... Anbu isn't my name. I'm a member of the ANBU of the Village of the Hidden Leaf," Kakashi said.  
  
"What's your name then?"  
  
"I can't say."  
  
"..."  
  
"..."  
  
Which one will speak first? Find out in the next chapter of Kurama in Narutoland!I'm so mean. Hehheh.


	3. Chapter Three

**Kurama in Narutoland**  
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Chapter Three:  
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"..."  
  
"..."  
  
"What village are you from?" Kakashi asked.  
  
Village? What village was he supposed to be from? Hell, Kurama didn't know. And so, he decided to play dumb.  
  
"Village? What do you mean, sir?" Kurama said, blinking his big eyes. 'I hope I don't have to act like this for too long... again. This is like being reborn in the human world all over again.' Kurama mentally sighed at this. 'Looks like I have no choice, at least until I know where I am...'  
  
"Well, there are many villages in the lands. Do you know the name of the one you came from?"  
  
"I came from a village?"  
  
"Uh... How did you get into this forest?"  
  
"I dunno."  
  
"How long have you been out here?"  
  
"I dunno."  
  
"What are your parent's names?"  
  
"I dunno."  
  
Kakashi, becoming frustrated, asked, "Do you even know what your OWN name is?"  
  
"Kurama."  
  
"Family name?"  
  
"Minamino."  
  
"Do you know anything about yourself?"  
  
"Not really..."  
  
"How old are you?"  
  
"I dunno."  
  
Kakashi mentally growled. They were getting back into the 'I dunno' conversation again. Did this kid have amnesia?  
  
"So, you know nothing about yourself, besides your full name. You don't even know how old you are?"  
  
"Nope!" Kurama said cheerfully with a happy eye-closed smile. This was kinda fun... He could definitely get used to this.  
  
Kakashi sighed softly to himself. 'This kid has amnesia alright. I should take her to the Third, and let HIM deal with her...' he thought to himself, slightly annoyed.  
  
How many people have ever annoyed THE Kakashi before? Very few. And it seemed this kid was exceptionally good at it.  
  
Kurama watched as the strange man before him leaned down and picked him up. What was he doing? He voiced his question, and the cloaked man answered absently.  
  
"I'm taking you the Village of the Hidden Leaf, my home." Kakashi dashed from tree to tree, in the direction of Hidden Leaf.  
  
"Why?" Yep, Kurama LOVED annoying this guy.  
  
"Because you do not remember anything about yourself, right? Therefore you have nowhere to go. Don't you want a place to stay until you remember?"  
  
Kurama blinked innocently up at the masked man. This was very amusing. 'I think I'll live here for a while, in this strange world. This human is strange too... Are all human in this world able to move at demonic speeds?' Normally, Kurama would not have thought this possible. However, he was now in a new world... and perhaps a world he could fit in, with no hidden secrets about his strength. Just maybe... He could find a home that didn't involve the daily wars between demons and humans.  
  
----Hidden Leaf----  
  
The Third was peacefully working on some reports that had recently come in about shinobi's completed missions. He didn't expect the abrupt arrival of one of his ANBU, however.  
  
Kakashi made a rather flashy entrance... Coming in through the window. Why call that flashy? I dunno. I felt like it.  
  
"What is it you want, Kakashi?" The Third asked without looking up from his papers.  
  
"I found a child in the woods, Hokage. She apparently has no memory-"  
  
A cough resounded throughout the room. All eyes turned to Kurama, who had an annoyed look on his face. "I do believe I am a boy, thank you," he said monotonously.  
  
Both Kakashi and Hokage blinked at the dazzling redhead.  
  
Kakashi had put Kurama down as soon as they arrived, and now he stood there with his arms crossed and his eyes half-lidded in annoyance. Why did he always suffer this way? Well don't blame me, I'm not the author of Yu Yu Hakusho.  
  
Hokage put down the paper he was examining and gave his full attention to Kakashi. "What is it you want me to do about it?" he asked, his tone implying he was weary of the world.  
  
Kakashi's eyebrow twitched in annoyance, though his mask hid it. "I thought you could figure out what to do with him."  
  
"Well, you found him. You will take care of him."  
  
Kakashi blanched beneath his mask. Was Hokage serious? Oh yeah, he was serious. 'I did bring this upon myself. I can't blame anyone else.' Kakashi sighed softly beneath his mask, and picked up Kurama again. "I guess I'll be leaving then."  
  
"Wait, Kakashi. If he is to be staying in our village, is he not one of us? Let him know about the academy, and if decides that he wants to become a ninja, then enroll him. You are his guardian from now on. Take care of him."  
  
Kakashi took that to heart, then disappeared out the window.  
  
Kurama, in his arms, blinked to himself. Ninja? That sounded rather intriguing... 'I will become a ninja, in this Village of the Hidden Leaf. After all, it's something to do.'  
  
Kurama was relieved to find that this strange world used the same language that he did. As in, the written language. He already knew that they spoke Japanese from just talking to Kakashi.  
  
Later Kakashi introduced Kurama to the whole Ninja idea, and Kurama became quite eager to be enrolled in this school. Kakashi, however, said that they were halfway through the year already, and that it would be best if he personally trained Kurama until he caught up with those his age.  
  
Kakashi was shocked to find that this didn't take very long, and revealed to the Hokage that Kurama was a genius of incredible talent. He picked up the chakra aspect of things very quickly, and seemed to have a bloodline limit (that allowed him to manipulate plants, duh), as well as being physically strong. In a mere four months, Kurama had learned everything about the world he lived in, and had caught up with those his age (which was determined to be 11). He was then enrolled in the academy, to go the next year, after the small summer break they had.  
  
Kurama woke swiftly, and opened his eyes immediately to the light that shone in through his window. It was his first day of school, and Kakashi would be up soon... with a bucket of water. The first time Kurama had failed to wake up with the sun (which was after a rigorous day of training), Kakashi had dumped a bucket of water on him. Yes, a bucket of water. Do you know how long it took for his futon mattress to dry? A WEEK. He had had to sleep on the couch (a very old and uncomfortable combination of stuffing, fabric, and chunks of wood). Imagine how incredibly irritating that had to be. VERY.  
  
And so, Kurama was up and at 'em before Kakashi had time to fill the bucket. Kurama could almost SEE the pout on the ANBU-turned-Jounin's face. He immaturely stuck his tongue out at Kakashi, and preceded to make breakfast.  
  
Kurama had changed a lot in four months, as being thrown into a different setting did to a person. Of course, the fact that he had nothing to hide from the world anymore (aside from being a demon born human) had allowed him to completely relax for the first time in his whole life. He felt truly at ease in this strange world, and didn't wish to ever leave. Of course, he missed his friends and family, but here he belonged.  
  
Making breakfast didn't take long. All Kurama had to do was pour a bowl of cereal and milk. Very simple. Yet Kakashi HAD to pop into the kitchen and 'accidentally' knock the bowl off the counter as Kurama put the milk away into the fridge. He managed to do this, even as he read his book, Icha Icha Paradise. Pervert.  
  
Kurama glared at Kakashi as the jounin absently tossed an apology over his shoulder. SURE he was sorry, note the sarcasm. Kneeling down on the floor, Kurama mopped up the mess with practiced ease. Yes, PRACTICED. Do you know how many times Kakashi did this in a week? At least three. Yep, three. It took Kurama less than ten seconds to clean it up with all the practice he'd been getting. Damn Kakashi.  
  
"Better get going to school, Kurama, it starts in five minutes," Kakashi said from the living room.  
  
Kurama's eyes widened, and he forgot about throwing another bowl of cereal together. He ran back to his room, quickly changed out of his green silk pajamas (he had saved up his extensive allowance to pay for his wardrobe, as was the deal with Kakashi), and pulled on his clothing. He had decided last night to wear his Chinese-like uniform (which he had found one day at a random silk store and purchased) to school. The 'covering' of it, which was sleeveless and hung down to his ankles, was pitch black with a red rose pattern of the petals on the back. It had a thin red trim around the rims of the arms, neck, and the entire rim of the flaps. The undershirt was like a long sleeved black shirt, not pulling together at the wrist like his old Chinese fighting uniforms, and the pants were exactly the same. To complete the wardrobe, were the sandals that all shinobi usually wore.  
  
Once he had dressed in this chosen uniform, he brushed his hair quickly and was out the door before Kakashi had the chance to say 'have a nice day'.  
  
Kurama jumped from rooftop to rooftop, not wanting to be late. The villagers stared at him as he ran by, obviously in a hurry.  
  
Imagine Kurama's surprise when he was the only one at school. Hardy har har har.  
  
That damn Kakashi! He lied to me! Kurama fumed silently. Oh, he would make Kakashi pay after the day was over... oh yes he would. Insert maniacal laugh.  
  
Since he was already here, Kurama decided to acquaint himself with the academy. Wandering aimlessly for an hour or two, students finally started to arrive. Not knowing which class he was to go to, Kurama went to the area he had figured to be an office of sorts for the teachers. He went there, now, and asked the nearest teacher where he could go to find out what class he was in.  
  
The chuunin had at first stared at Kurama in surprise. Never before had he seen someone join the academy so late in their years. Regardless, he searched through the document of new students, and located Minamino Kurama within it. He gave Kurama directions to the class, and identified his teacher as 'Iruka'.  
  
Kurama was presently looking for his class, and even with the directions he was given, it was still a little difficult, considering there were no teachers around to point him in the right direction. Finally coming to a classroom with a teacher in it, Kurama entered slowly.  
  
The chuunin looked up from his desk full of papers when he saw Kurama out of the corner of his eyes. "May I help you?" he asked.  
  
Kurama was quick to answer, "Yes, I'm looking for Iruka-sensei's classroom... do you know where it is?"  
  
The chuunin smiled at Kurama, and then answered unexpectedly...  
  
"I am Iruka. I believe you've found the right classroom?"  
  
What will happen next? What horrors will the next chapter reveal?

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How should I know? I just write this as I go.


	4. Chapter Four

**Kurama in Narutoland**  
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THE **PAIRING** WILL BE**:**

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**Kurama/Neji**

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Why? Because I have a Neji thing going on at the moment. Note to Kaoru (reviewer): Kakashi will be his fatherly figure, nothing more!  
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Chapter Four:  
  
"I am Iruka. I believe you've found the right classroom?"  
  
Kurama stood there, blinking. What was he supposed to do now? Greet his new sensei? I guess it wouldn't hurt... "I am Minamino Kurama. It is a pleasure to meet you, Iruka-sensei," Kurama said politely with a small bow. All he received for his politeness was a blank stare. What had he done? He couldn't be in trouble ALREADY, could he?  
  
Iruka was frozen where he sat. Since when did 11-year-old children bow in respect when they greeted a stranger? Hell, he had no idea. This was the first time in his entire life that a student had been so respectful to him. Who were this kid's parents? Realizing he was being rude, Iruka said with a pleasant smile, "I am Umino Iruka, it is a pleasure to meet you." (I dunno if Umino is his last name. If someone knows, PLZ let me know in a review!)  
  
Kurama smiled back, then stepped farther into the room. He looked around, wondering where he should sit. "Excuse me, Iruka-sensei, where may I sit?" Kurama asked politely.  
  
Looking up from the papers Iruka had turned back to, he gave the question serious thought. Where WOULD this kid sit? Maybe beside... No, that might not work... "Please sit in the second desk back on the left, the seat beside the wall."  
  
Kurama followed the instructions quickly, and sat down in the chair indicated. Sitting there, he wondered what he was supposed to do. Becoming bored rather quickly, and not knowing when school actually started, Kurama pulled out a scroll that he had 'borrowed' from the library. It contained a very complicated jutsu that involved the water element. It had to have a source of water nearby, but it had incredible power when you were able to use it. From the descriptions in the scroll, the water would pull away from the source and form a whirlwind around the enemy, cutting him to pieces with the sharp blades of water.  
  
He studied over it carefully, memorizing all the precise details that made the jutsu work, including the hand seals. He did this until he had memorized every detail (which didn't take that long, considering how genius he was). However, it took just enough time that the students began to file in.  
  
Kurama watched as each student came in, practicing an ability he had discovered not too long ago. He could see chakra. Because of all his training with reiki (which was almost exactly the same as chakra) and youki, he was able to sense chakra, and see it with his eyes and his mind's eye. It was rather interesting to see the many different colours and strengths of chakra, and Kurama found watching the energy flow rather entertaining.  
  
Suddenly, a blond-haired boy came in, with deep blue eyes. Strange fox-like scars marked his cheeks, and at the moment, he looked rather bored. It was as if, to him, coming to school was a CHORE... Perhaps it WAS for this kid... The strangest thing, however, was not his appearance... but his chakra... Kurama sensed youki sealed within the boy's navel... kitsune energy. This intrigued Kurama, and he wondered why the human boy had demonic energy inside of him.  
  
For an instant, Kurama witnessed a pair of dark red eyes...that were staring right at him. It was unnerving, but gone as soon as it came. The image disappeared when the boy suddenly walked up to his desk.  
  
Kurama blinked, not believing what he had just seen. Did demons really exist in this world as well? They must, Kurama concluded, though he hoped that not many did.  
  
Soon, something else caught Kurama's eye. It was another student, but THIS one had sleek black hair, and the strangest eyes Kurama had ever seen... white. They were a silvery white, whit no pupil at all. It was unnerving... but far more unnerving when those eyes met his. Kurama felt a very strange feeling as he looked into those eyes... It was heady and warm, yet it was nothing at all like the other feelings he had felt in his life before. Hate, lust, vengeance, sadness, pain, anger, hopelessness... This feeling was nothing like them, and caused his heart to quicken slightly.  
  
----Neji Pov----  
  
It was a regular boring day. Nothing special had occurred. It was like any other day, filled with hatred towards the Hyuuga main house, and his cousin Hinata. It was another, hateful, vengeful, sorrowful day-  
  
Who was that sitting in the chair next to where he regularly sat?  
  
Neji blinked, and eyed the new student where she sat. 'It is probably another weak girl, like Hinata,' he thought coldly to himself, and continued to walk to his seat, ignoring the girl as she blatantly stared at him. He sat down, and mentally growled when the girl still didn't look away.  
  
"Can I help you?" he asked coldly, glaring at the girl.  
  
She didn't bat an eyelash, and answered with a calm, "No." She continued to stare at him, and Neji became annoyed.  
  
"Then stop staring at me," said coldly.  
  
The girl smiled calmly, and asked an unexpected question, "Why are your eyes white?"  
  
----Kurama Pov----  
  
"Can I help you?" the handsome boy asked, his facial expression a cold glare.  
  
Kurama, used to the 'Hiei treatment', which was much harsher than this, stared calmly at the boy sitting to his left and answered, "No."  
  
This didn't seem to please the boy, and he bit out, "Then stop staring at me."  
  
Kurama decided that his boy needed to lighten up, and so he asked a random question to throw him off. "Why are your eyes white?"  
  
It seemed that the question worked, for the boy blanched and stared at Kurama.  
  
----Neji Pov----  
  
Did this girl not KNOW about the Hyuuga? What kind of idiot didn't know about the most powerful clan in the Hidden Leaf? This girl, obviously.  
  
Deciding to enlighten her, he said coldly, "I am of Hyuuga branch family. Our bloodline limit is the Byakogen, which gives us all-seeing eyes."  
  
----Kurama Pov----  
  
Kurama blinked. A bloodline limit? Interesting. He stored the lesson away for future reference, and went back to making conversation with this strange boy.  
  
"You're from the Hyuuga 'branch' family? Is there another Hyuuga family or something?" Kurama asked, rather curious.  
  
----Neji Pov----  
  
HOW CAN HE NOT KNOW?! Neji asked himself incredulously. Oh my, some one didn't know about his suffering, the end of the world is near. Dum dee dum dum dum.  
  
Neji was shocked. Not only was this girl NOT afraid of him, she didn't hate him either... That was weird...  
  
----No Pov----  
  
However, Neji was not allowed the time to contemplate this, as Iruka called for silence... That didn't come. Of course, why in the world would the students listen? I dunno. I don't seem why any kid would, but that's just being a kid.  
  
Iruka's eyebrow twitched in annoyance as the only warning before... "CLASS! PAY ATTENTION!"  
  
The classroom was silent immediately. That is, until Naruto said, "No need to be so loud, Iruka-sensei."  
  
Iruka's eyebrow twitched again, but then an evil smirk planted itself firmly on his face. All the students stared at Iruka in horror as the chuunin said, "Because of Naruto's back talk, you will all be tested today. Whoever doesn't pass the test, will be stuck here after school until they can do it."  
  
Moans and groans sounded throughout the whole room, and Kurama wondered what kind of test they could be having. His question was soon to be answered.  
  
"The test will be chakra control. You must be able to form the chakra into a small cyclone in front of you. You will not be given time to prepare. Line up at the front of the class and I will choose you randomly from the line. Naruto, you are first. However, before we begin, I would like you all to meet our new student. Minamino Kurama, would you please come down here?" Iruka asked.  
  
Kurama stood from his seat and ignored the stares as he walked down. Whispers broke out all over the room, and Kurama heard every one of them. "She's hot!" "I wonder if she has a boyfriend," "I wish I had looks like that, lucky girl," and many more.  
  
Iruka motioned for Kurama to stand before the class, and he did so. "Kurama here is a new student that just entered the academy this year. His guardian has personally trained him until now, so he could catch up with the rest of you. Kurama, please tell us a little about yourself."  
  
Kurama mentally smirked when this was the first chance for him to show he was a boy. "What's there to tell?" he asked, playing the bored type with his eyes half lidded.  
  
"Okay... Then some questions from the class," Iruka said, and many hands immediately shot up.  
  
"Will you go out with me?" a nameless boy asked.  
  
Kurama's eyebrow raised and he turned to Iruka. "There is one thing I'd like to say. After that, may I sit down?"  
  
Iruka nodded his head.  
  
"I'm a boy."  
  
Nasty cliffhanger, eh? Hehheh.


	5. Chapter Five

**Kurama in Narutoland**  
.

.  
Chapter Five:  
.

.  
"I'm a boy."  
  
After the shocked looks, Kurama sat back down again, ignoring Neji, who was staring at HIM this time. Kurama turned to him and said quietly, so only he could hear, "Did you, too, believe me to be a girl?" He smiled pleasantly when the smallest bit of red touched Neji's cheeks, before he turned away again. Kurama found this amusing, and turned his attention back to Iruka, who was presently trying to get the students to pay attention to him. A few students had lined up, but some still stared at Kurama like idiots.  
  
Amused, but slightly annoyed as well, Kurama stood and lined up at the front of the class as well. Neji was quick to follow. As soon as they had lined up, the rest rushed to line up as well, trying to prevent eye contact between Kurama and themselves. Kurama found this incredibly amusing, and had to stifle the chuckles that were vibrating in his chest.  
  
Kurama was lucky. He was standing in-between Neji and another guy, NOT in- between the girls that giggled throughout the line. Well, all of them giggled except for one, who seemed to be related to Neji. White eyes. This girl was blushing, and looking in the OPPOSITE direction of Kurama. She seemed to be staring at... WAIT A MINUTE! Was she staring at that loud and obnoxious blond-haired kid? Oh my... She WAS!  
  
"Alright, class. Pay attention. You heard the instructions earlier... IF you were listening. I will call you up by name, and you will perform the test. First, Naruto."  
  
Naruto groaned to himself, and walked forward. He had very little chakra control, yet he tried his best, and managed to make SOMETHING that resembled a cyclone for a second or two. He walked back into line with a scowl on his face.  
  
"Second, Kiba."  
  
A boy wearing a strange parka, with a DOG on his head, groaned and walked forward.  
  
Kurama heard the boy mutter 'damn' under his breath, before he began to focus his chakra. To Kurama's surprise, the boy managed to maintain the cyclone for a few moments, before the chakra flew off, uncontrolled.  
  
Kiba, satisfied that he had done it well enough, walked back to the line.  
  
"Neji."  
  
The strange boy with silvery eyes, who sat beside Kurama, stood before Iruka and perfected the cyclone with ease. He managed to maintain it perfectly for a total of one minute before he ran out of chakra to maintain it.  
  
'So that's the name of the boy... Neji... Hyuuga Neji... He controlled his cyclone well,' Kurama thought to himself.  
  
"Kurama."  
  
Damn. Now HE had to go. How utterly boring. At least it would be minute practice for that water whirlwind jutsu he was trying to master.  
  
Kurama gathered up a sufficient amount of chakra, and then sent it out of his body to form a quickly spinning cyclone in front of him. Papers whipped around the room as the cyclone created a strong wind around it. The students had to brace themselves from the pull, and it was difficult, considering how shocked they were.  
  
Kurama kept his gaze steady, and fed the cyclone exactly the right amount of chakra to keep it going at the same speed for a few minutes.  
  
It turns out his chakra supply was able to last HALF AND HOUR, and Iruka was left completely baffled when the cyclone FINALLY dissipated.  
  
Kurama was left breathing slightly heavily, and quite proud of himself. That should make the water whirlwind jutsu work well enough. He walked back to the line and ignored the rest of the attempts, no longer interested when he found how easy it actually was.  
  
Neji, on the other hand, couldn't stop staring at Kurama. 'How did he manage to control that cyclone longer than me? Does he have better chakra control or just more chakra all together?' Becoming impatient, he silently activated his Byakugan. However, he found only an exhausted supply of chakra, and no indications of how much Kurama had when at full strength. Damn.  
  
Soon lunch arrived, and Kurama left the academy to go to one of the nearest restaurants. He found one, quick enough, and went inside. He was surprised to find that Neji of all people was sitting at one of the tables, eating what looked to be pasta. Kurama smiled softly to himself, and snuck up on Neji. When he was an arm's length away, he called out pleasantly, so he didn't surprise the boy, "Hi Neji, fancy seeing you here."  
  
Neji's head shot around like a bullet, and his eyes widened the tiniest bit when he spotted Kurama. He glared coldly at the redhead, and turned back to his food.  
  
Kurama, far from unnerved by the glare, sat across from Neji and waited for a waitress to bring him a menu. She did swiftly, and he was left to skim over it. When she came back to take his order, he asked for a dish of shrimp tempura and rice. To drink, he asked for water.  
  
After he ordered, he decided to stare at Neji, for something to do. The boy found this very irritating it seemed, because he soon looked up from his plate and asked Kurama in a low tone, "What. Do. You. Want?"  
  
Blinking innocently, Kurama answered, "To make conversation, perhaps? Though I hardly call this conversation." Kurama smiled pleasantly at Neji, and watched as the boy seemed to contemplate his answer.  
  
"Why would you want to have a conversation with ME? There are plenty of other kids to talk to out there," Neji said cockily. On the inside, however, he was confused why Kurama was so persistent to 'get to know him'.  
  
"Well, did you ever ask yourself, why 'wouldn't I want to make conversation with you?" Kurama asked, smirking slightly.  
  
Neji said coldly, "Because I'm an asshole to everyone? Isn't that a good enough reason for you to back off?"  
  
Kurama blinked, then said with a small, sad smile on his face, "You aren't an asshole at all compared to someone else I used to know, and be friends with. HE would threaten to kill a person if they merely looked his way..." A fond smile graced Kurama's lips at the memory of Hiei, before his attention was turned away from Neji, and to his arrived food. Ah, lunch is served. Yum.  
  
Neji watched Kurama as he ate. He had never considered that perhaps the redhead had just been looking for a friend... But why him? He was far from the 'friendly' type. Why would Kurama want to be HIS friend when almost anyone in the entire class would be happy to take his place? Kurama was a strange person... an enigma. Something he couldn't understand... and that was a first. Neji understood everybody's personalities, yet this new student was a mystery to him. Why? What was so special about this new student? Why was he able to execute chakra control like it was like stirring a cup of tea? Easy? Neji did not have the answers to these questions, and so he decided to keep an eye on this Kurama. If he had to be his friend to figure him out, then he would. No body remained a secret to Hyuuga Neji.  
  
Kurama finished his Tempura and rice, and looked up from his empty dish to see Neji staring at him. Kurama blinked. What was UP with this guy? He was so unusual... but that's what made him so interesting.  
  
Neji stood from his seat, left money on the counter, and walked to the entrance. Kurama followed suite, and was surprised that Neji actually waited for him. They walked beside eachother on the way back to the academy, in no hurry whatsoever. Neji took the time to memorize Kurama's features and what he knew of his changing personality. He was an interesting person; there was no doubt about that. Never before had anyone seemed interesting to Neji, yet Kurama captured his attention like he was the only person in the world.  
  
Kurama knew Neji was examining him, but did not care. He took the time to go over what he knew about Neji... which was practically nothing. Damn. He'd have to do some research on the Hyuuga.  
  
When they arrived back at school, they walked in the door together, drawing the prodding gaze of Iruka. Iruka's curiosity was banished, however, with a cold look from Neji.  
  
At the end of the day, Kurama was packing up his scrolls and homework to head home, when Neji approached him. He seemed uncertain at first, but soon became his normal confident self. "Would you like to train together tonight?" he asked lowly, so that no passing students could hear.  
  
Kurama smiled a dazzling smile, disarming Neji, and answered just as quietly, "I would love to. What time? And where?"  
  
Neji was pleased that Kurama had accepted; though he didn't know why. The corner of his mouth had even twitched up in the smallest of smiles.  
  
Kurama, however, caught it easily, having been around Hiei enough to depict the smallest traces of emotion.  
  
"Out in the genin training area. There are many trees there, and it would be the best place. Will you be able to find me in the forest?"  
  
Kurama smirked darkly and said confidently, "I shouldn't have a problem." With that said, he walked passed Neji and left the classroom, to go home.  
  
Neji was surprised, to say the least. Yet again, Kurama had revealed that he wasn't all that he seemed: a pleasant, good little boy, who did what elders told him. There seemed to be a dark secret that shrouded Kurama, and Neji was determined to find out what it was...  
  
Cliffhangers are evil, ain't they? Well, so am I, so there. Heh. (evil smirk)


	6. Chapter Six

**Kurama in Narutoland  
**.

.  
Chapter Six:  
.

.  
When Kurama got home, Kakashi greeted him with an absent wave from behind his Icha Icha Paradise. Pervert. Did he EVER stop reading those perverted books? Kurama took a good look at Kakashi. Nope. Never stopped. Amazing.  
  
Not.  
  
Ignoring Kakashi, Kurama went to his room and changed out of his dirty clothes. He put on a similar outfit, this time it was green with the red rose pattern on the back. His whole wardrobe was made entirely up of these outfits, with different colours and designs on the front, although the rose pattern remained on the back. It was like his 'signature' almost.  
  
Knowing that he was going to be roughed up a little, Kurama had chosen a uniform made out of linen, instead of silk. This would prove to be a good idea in the future.  
  
Once he was ready to go, Kurama relaxed on his futon. He wouldn't have to be there for a little while longer, and he wanted to rest and regain his chakra. It was coming back, slowly but surely, and his supply should be restored within the hour.  
  
When Kurama awoke, it was 5:30, and he needed to get going. Getting up off his futon, Kurama exited his room. Seeing Kakashi on his way out, he called out to him, "I'm going to the genin training ground. I don't know when I'll be back." And with that said, Kurama walked out the door.  
  
He jumped from rooftop to rooftop, moving at a decent speed. He'd probably get there in ten minutes.  
  
When he arrived, he was met with an 'empty' forest. Typical. And so, he closed his eyes and sensed for Neji's energy signature. He found it, quickly, and rather close by. That was strange; was Neji spying on his or something? Kurama thought over this, and zeroed in on Neji's chakra. He was about 40 meters away. Not very far at all, considering how large the forest was.  
  
Kurama walked toward the chakra, taking his time, and soon entered a small clearing, where Neji was sitting on the ground, meditating. Kurama approached, soundlessly, using his kitsune stealth, that he had acquired when a thief, to sneak up on Neji. He sat down in front of the black-haired boy, and waited for him to notice he was there.  
  
They sat there for at least ten minutes, before Neji opened his eyes, seeming to be impatient. What he saw shocked him so much that he fell backwards.  
  
Kurama couldn't help but smile, amused, at this. He stood, and leaned down to help Neji up. The white-eyed boy was still staring at him like he'd seen a ghost.  
  
"How did you acquire such stealth?" Neji asked, showing little emotion in his voice.  
  
Kurama smiled mysteriously, and didn't answer. Instead, he turned and walked until he was ten meters away from Neji. There, he crouched down into a fighting position, going to use his martial arts against the Hyuuga. He hadn't fought like this in a long time, and he didn't want to be rusty.  
  
Neji, still curious about the unanswered question, crouched low to the ground as well. They stared off for a moment, before a unheard bell set them off at eachother.  
  
Kurama glided across the ground, to meet Neji farther than halfway, showing how quick he was. He punched at Neji, but the Hyuuga dodged to his left, and tried to kick Kurama's feet out from beneath him. Kurama caught this, however, and easily jumped back and out of the way. He did a rolling kick, and caught Neji in the left shoulder. Neji went flying to his right, Kurama's left, but recovered quickly. With narrowed eyes, Neji got in a stance, and attacked Kurama with his two fingers, trying to close his Tenketsu (that how you spell it?). He managed to hit a spot on Kurama's left arm, and it became useless.  
  
Kurama was surprised by this new development, and tried to pull back and recover his wits. This didn't work, however, and Neji went in for the kill. He managed to make both Kurama's arms useless, and his right leg.  
  
Kurama was still fighting, or rather, dodging, being unable to do anything else until he could move his arms again. His eyes widened when Neji snuck past his defenses, and tapped a spot on his left leg with his two fingers. Kurama's leg collapsed beneath him, and he went crashing to the ground, carried by the backwards movement of an attempt of escape. Kurama glared up at Neji as the boy stood cockily over him, a smirk firmly in place.  
  
"What's it feel like to be at a disadvantage?" Neji asked slyly.  
  
Kurama gave Neji another fierce glare, before his face strangely became serenely smooth and calm. His expression gave the impression that nothing in the whole world bothered him, and there was nothing Neji could do to piss him off in the least.  
  
Neji was angered by this, and straddled Kurama on the ground. He leaned down, and whispered in Kurama's ear, "I will break that mask of calm..."  
  
A pleasant chill shot up Kurama's spine as he felt the warm breath on his ear, and the husky tone Neji had used. He smiled calmly and said, just to annoy Neji, "Try it."  
  
Neji pulled out a kunai, and held it dangerously close to Kurama's throat. Kurama didn't twitch in the least, and this only fueled Neji's growing annoyance. He put the kunai away, and touched a spot on Kurama's chest.  
  
A jolt of mild pain shot up Kurama's spine. What in the world was Neji doing? Neji touched a few more spots on his body, and Kurama felt more pain. A particular spot was VERY painful, yet Kurama's calm exterior remained.  
  
Neji, knowing that pain wasn't working, tried a different tactic... He pressed a spot on the back of Kurama's neck, and he body beneath him shuddered. He'd thought that'd work.  
  
Kurama involentarily shuddered when a powerful shock of pleasure shot up his spine. Only one thought reached his mind, 'Oh...'  
  
Neji touched several more spots with his two hands, and delighted in the reactions he was getting from Kurama. However, his face remained calm and smooth, and that was really starting to piss Neji off. He smirked when a random thing occurred to him, and he leaned down once again.  
  
Neji's lips covered Kurama's in that instant. Kurama's eyes widened, then slowly slid shut as he enjoyed the kiss.  
  
Neji, however, had kept his eyes open, so he could see the look on Kurama's face. At first it was shock, then it melted into a half-lidded look, until his eyes had completely closed. Neji was absolutely shocked when Kurama began to return the kiss, and a warm and pleasant feeling pooled at the bottom of Neji's stomach. What was this feeling? Neji didn't know, but what he DID know, was that he didn't want it to stop.  
  
LEMON WARNING! You have been warned, and if you decide to read this, then it is not my responsibility if you are scarred for life. Don't go complaining to FF.Net when I have CLEARLY warned you!  
  
Kurama felt a familiar desire pool in his stomach, but it was slightly different this time, than the usual lust he felt when he went for a one- night stand while he was a youko. This feeling was warm, and made Kurama melt. The effect Neji had had on his limbs was fading, but Kurama remained pliant beneath Neji, not wanting to give up this wonderful feeling.  
  
Neji slipped his knee in-between Kurama's legs, and applied a little preasure. He was rewarded with a low moan from Kurama, and a delicious expression that he loved to see on the redhead's face. Pure bliss. He smirked to himself, and rubbed his knee against the redhead. The reaction he received from Kurama was very arousing. The redhead moaned and thrashed beneath him, creating delightful sounds and expressions. Neji touched a few spots randomly on Kurama's body, causing pleasure to shoot up the redhead's spine. By now, a red tinge coloured the youko's cheeks.  
  
He was in pure bliss. That was the feeling Neji was bestowing upon him in much quantity. He felt that he was coming close to release, and his moans became more erratic, his breaths quicker. Then Kurama went tumbling over the edge of ecstasy, his eyes closed, and a blissful look upon his face.  
  
Neji felt himself go over the edge, watching Kurama elicit such sounds. They sat there, panting heavily, their desire coating their boxers. Kurama was blushing cutely, and Neji's cheeks were coloured a pale red as well. They stared at eachother for a bit, before Kurama suddenly smirked evilly.  
  
Neji's eyes widened when Kurama flipped them over, a predatorial look on his beautiful face. Kurama undid Neji's shirt, and casually tossed it aside. Suddenly, he heard something. He froze, straddling Neji, and cocked his ear to the side. Yes, he heard rustling in the trees. Not too far away either. He jumped off of Neji, grabbed the boy's shirt, and tossed it to him. He motioned for the black-haired boy to put it on, quickly, and went back to examining the area. He spread out his senses, and detected a group of three weaker ninja coming their way, probably genin. They probably came this way to train. It was a good thing Kurama had sensitive ears, or else they would have been caught in a most embarrassing situation.  
  
Kurama looked back to see that Neji had his shirt back on, and was using the Byakugan to examine the area. His white eyes widened when he spotted the genin, and he looked to Kurama. The redhead jumped into one of the surrounding trees, and crouched down low on a branch, executing the best stealth he could muster at the moment. Neji followed suite, and they watched as the genin team entered the field and began to spar.  
  
Neji turned his eyes away from the genin, and to Kurama. How had he known those genin were coming? It had almost looked like he'd been listening for something... But how could he have such good ears? It wasn't humanly possible, after all, the genin hadn't been being ver loud at all. Almost silent.  
  
Kurama faced Neji, and motioned for him to follow him. Kurama jumped from tree to tree with increadible ease and grace, not making a single sound. Neji, on the other hand, found his steps to be loud in his ears compared to Kurama's soundless ones.  
  
They arrived in the village quickly enough, and said their fair wells. They parted at the edge of village, and walked their separate ways. One thing was on both their minds:  
  
'What do we do now?'  
  
What do you think of the cliffhanger? Hehheh, I love doing this, though I hate it when it's done to me (pouts).


	7. Chapter Seven

**Kurama in Narutoland**  
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Chapter Seven:  
.

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One thing was on both their minds:  
  
'What do we do now?'  
  
Neither of the boys had an answer to that question, so they went home. Kurama expected to just pretend it didn't happen, yet Neji had other plans...  
  
Kakashi blinked when Kurama came through the door, muttering, "Tadaima," as he went. This strange behaviour concerned Kakashi, yet he remained behind his book, not knowing how to ask what was wrong. He muttered, "Okaeri," back, and watched as Kurama made his way silently to his room.  
  
Kurama opened his door and shut it behind him. He was slightly disappointed that they couldn't continue. But at this point, there was nothing he could do about it. A sigh escaped his lips; he remembered how those fingers brought him incredible pleasure with but a gentle touch. A shudder of pleasure ran down his spine at the thought.  
  
He knew he was only torturing himself. Neji would want to pretend it didn't happen, and so Kurama would respect his wishes. He placed his hands on his face, a groan coming out of his mouth. How could they have done that? They had just become FRIENDS! Would Neji hate him for what had happened?  
  
Kurama didn't know what to think, and he was worried. He felt dirty for what had happened, and he went to have a shower.  
  
He conveniently forgot that Neji was the one to make the first move. He also didn't know that once Neji got something he wanted, he wouldn't give it up. Ever.  
  
The warm water of the shower poured over Kurama, relaxing the daily tensions from his muscles. He washed his hair and body, then just stood underneath the warm spray. He turned the water off after a while, not wanting to use all their hot water. After all, Kakashi might want to take a shower later as well.  
  
Once he got out of the shower, with only a towel wrapped around his waist, he walked to the kitchen to get something to drink. He walked right by Kakashi on the way, and ignored the jounin's eyes on him. He got himself a glass of orange juice then walked back to his room, closing the door softly behind him.  
  
Kakashi stared unseeingly at his picture. He hadn't known that Kurama was so... well sculpted... for a kid his age. His skin was a creamy tanned colour, and he was very... earthereal... Kakashi shook the thoughts from his head. He held no attraction towards Kurama, and he planned to keep it that way. He had his eyes set on a certain... sensei...  
  
Kurama got dressed in his nightclothes, and slipped underneath the comforter on the futon. He wanted to go to bed early tonight.  
  
----Neji Pov----  
  
What was he going to do? What would Kurama do? Neji didn't know. He was slightly confused himself, but he knew what he wanted, and he would get it in time. Kurama may pretend nothing happened when they met up again, but Neji liked what they had going on, and he wanted to continue where they left off. Eventually.  
  
With this thought, he arrived at home. He walked to his room, and prepared to go to bed. It was only around 8, but he didn't care. He couldn't wait for the next day, when he got to see his only friend again.  
  
Neji fell asleep with the smallest of smiles on his face. He hadn't been happy in a long time, with his father's death and the main family's hatred towards him. It was kind of ironic, that he, of the branch, was more powerful than Hinata, of the main.  
  
----No Pov---- ----Next Morning----  
  
Kurama awoke to scent of an intruder in his room. His eyes remained closed as he sensed for the chakra... Neji. Huh? What was Neji of all people doing in his room? Kurama didn't know... but he took no chances. Moving quicker than lightning, he had Neji pinned to the wall. The white eyes were wide in surprise, as Kurama stared down on him with deadly eyes. The green eyes lost their intensity when Kurama saw no ill intentions in Neji's eyes. He released the boy just as Kakashi came running into the room, a kunai in hand.  
  
Kakashi blinked when he saw Kurama standing in front of Neji... who was planted against the wall. Had Kurama attacked him? "What are you doing here, Hyuuga Neji?" Kakashi asked, his tone deadly, even though his eyes remained lazy.  
  
Neji stared at Kakashi. What was he supposed to say? Luckily, Kurama saved him.  
  
"Neji and I are friends. He came to walk me to school," Kurama said, incredibly smoothly for a lie. So smoothly, in fact, Neji began to stare at Kurama. How come he hadn't even flinched? Hadn't batted an eyelash as he lied? It was something Neji needed to ask Kurama about later.  
  
Kakashi blinked. Oh... He'd just come to walk Kurama to school? "Why didn't you come by the front door, then?" he asked lazily.  
  
"Because he prefers windows as much as you do, Kakashi," came Kurama's smooth reply.  
  
Kakashi blinked again. Kurama was good... "Very well," he said, and shut the door on his way out.  
  
Kurama turned his calm eyes away from the door, and trained them on Neji. "Now, what WERE you doing here?" he asked calmly.  
  
End chappie. Hope you liked it! And if you want me to update, then review!


	8. Chapter Eight

**Kurama in Narutoland**  
.

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Chapter Eight:  
.

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"Now, what WERE you doing here?" Kurama asked calmly.  
  
Neji answered calmly, "Because I wanted to walk with you to school."  
  
Kurama blinked at the response, but detected no lie. Interesting, he hadn't known that was the case when he lied to Kakashi. It was rather amusing now that he thought about it. "Is that so? Why not use the front door?"  
  
"Because I like windows."  
  
It was quite unusual that this was the exact same conversation between Kakashi and Kurama moments ago. And with Kurama's thieving skills, he found it all true. Funny. Kurama raised an eyebrow at Neji, and then turned away. He picked out his school outfit, which Kakashi had washed for him, and began to take off his nightclothes. His shirt came off with a silent swish, and revealed Kurama's chest to the world.  
  
Neji choked when he saw that Kurama was changing in front of him, like it was no big deal.  
  
"If you don't want to see a fellow student naked, then you can leave the room," Kurama said calmly, his back turned to Neji.  
  
Neji, unable to calm his hormones, decided it was the best thing to do. He left the room, with a red blush on his face. How could Kurama be so... UNCONCERNED about that kind of thing?!  
  
He saw Kakashi sitting at the table, a bowl of cereal in front of him. Wait a minute... WHAT IN THE SEVEN HELLS WAS HE /READING/?! Neji stared at the book stupidly. Pervert.  
  
Kakashi, without looking up, motioned for Neji to have a seat. Neji did so, and stared blankly at the wall across from him, a light blush still covering his cheeks.  
  
"What are you so flustered about?" Kakashi asked, still not looking up from his book.  
  
Neji turned to look at Kakashi. What was he supposed to say? Luckily, Kurama came into the room then, in his normal attire. He blinked when he spotted Neji staring at Kakashi.  
  
"Are you ready to go?" Kurama asked.  
  
Neji turned to look at Kurama, with a coolly raised eyebrow. "You do realize that school doesn't start for another hour an a half?"  
  
Kurama checked the time on the clock in the kitchen. "Ah, so THAT'S when school starts. Tell me Kakashi, did you always go to school early when you were younger?" he asked, his voice cutting through the air as he glared rather coldly at Kakashi.  
  
Neji felt a shiver go up his spine at the voice. Was it just him, or did it sound older than he was? Strange.  
  
Kakashi looked up from his book for the first time, a smile on his face. "Nope. I was always late," he said happily.  
  
Kurama blinked. Then blinked again. Seriously? Was Kakashi serious? Dumbass. "Really. And let me guess, you don't want me to be late as well?"  
  
Kakashi smiled again. "No, I just like to make your life harder."  
  
Kurama glared at Kakashi again. "You know, I think I WILL leave early. It means less time with you and your crazy sense of logic." With that said he grabbed Neji and dragged the blinking boy out of the house. They began walking down the street, a comfortable silence surrounding them. Very few shinobi were up at this hour, and those that were, were probably preparing for a mission or the likes.  
  
Glancing at Kurama, Neji pondered the redhead again. He was such an enigma! How come Neji couldn't figure him out? Usually a person can detect SOMETHING about another person's personality just by being in their presence, but Kurama was so... changing. He was always changing, never staying the same. Correction, never staying the same long enough for a person to decode him. Hn.  
  
That annoyed Neji, but at the same time he enjoyed Kurama's company. What was it about the boy that drew him to him? Neji didn't know. That was what bugged him the most.  
  
Kurama, on the other hand, was thinking about other things. He was thinking about everything he had learned about this new world, which was quite a lot. His mind switched gears, and he started to think about all the jutsu he knew, which wasn't that much. He STILL hadn't managed to find a time all by himself to master that water cyclone jutsu.  
  
They arrived at the academy soon, and walked to the part of it that was a playground. Kurama walked over to the swing set, and Neji followed. He sat down on one of the two swings, and motioned for Neji to do so as well. He began swinging gently as Neji sat down.  
  
Neji was slightly uncomfortable on the swing. He'd never really swung before, except when his father was still alive... The thought brought up bad memories, and Neji scowled.  
  
Kurama, seeing Neji's scowl, soundlessly stood, so he didn't catch Neji's attention. He gracefully and silently walked around behind the boy, then pushed him on the swing.  
  
Neji's eyes went wide when he was pushed, and he looked behind him to see a grinning Kurama. Now that he thought about it, that grin was very foxy... Kurama pushed him again, and Neji was slowly gaining height. The corner of his mouth twitched upwards slightly, barely noticeable, as he gained height. This reminded him a lot of when his father had pushed him as a child... Tears gathered, unwanted, in his eyes, and he furiously blinked them away.  
  
Kurama smelt salt, the beginning of tears, and a small sad smile reached his face. What was Neji remembering that was so sad? He'd have to do some asking around to find his answers...  
  
Neji's tears disappeared as soon as they had come, and he smiled softly as Kurama pushed him.  
  
This continued for a while, Kurama smiling, and Neji half-smiling. It was quite a change from the old cold and cocky Neji.  
  
Kurama looked up when he sensed someone approaching. He whispered this in Neji's ear, and the boy became stoic again. Neji jumped off the swing set and activated his Byakugan. He did a search of the area, and discovered that none other than his hated cousin Hinata had shown up.  
  
Hinata spotted Neji with someone else by the swing set, and timidly walked forward. She took a quick glance at Neji's cold look, and looked away. Her eyes were led to look at the person with him, who was the new student, Kurama. She stared into his calm green eyes, so very different than the cold ones of Neji. Maybe this new student could break through the wall Neji- niisan had put up. Maybe Neji-niisan could finally be happy...  
  
"Neji-niisan, the leader of the main house wants you. Immediately."  
  
What will happen to Neji? I dunno yet. (sweatdrop)


	9. Chapter Nine

**Kurama in Narutoland**  
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Chapter Nine:  
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"Neji-niisan, the leader of the main house wants you. Immediately," she said timidly, flinching as the cold look became icier.  
  
Neji nodded his head, and looked to Kurama. Kurama smiled softly, and spoke too softly for Hinata to hear.  
  
"Do you want me to come?"  
  
"No. Don't come."  
  
Kurama nodded his head, and walked towards the school with a small wave to both Neji and Hinata.  
  
Neji strode past Hinata without sparing her a glance. What did the head of the main house want now? What had he done THIS time? His look became icier as he walked, ignoring Hinata, who followed him. He arrived at the clan estate within a half-an-hour or so, and entered the land. The Hyuuga family had a lot of land, being the most powerful clan left in the Leaf. The Uchiha land used to be just as powerful, but their numbers decreased to one during the Uchiha tradegy...  
  
Neji stood before the main house, waiting for the head to show himself.  
  
"Neji," the head began, staring down on Neji as he came through the genkan, "Where were you this morning?"  
  
Was THIS what the head was so huffy over? Him leaving earlier than normal? So suspicious...  
  
"I went to school early," Neji said, it being half-true.  
  
"Why would you want to go to school early?" the head asked, eyes narrowed dangerously.  
  
Neji glared at the head. "So now I am not allowed to go to school early?" he asked monotonously.  
  
The head glared back, not impressed with Neji's back talk. "You will inform the family when you decdide to change your daily routine. Now get out of my sight."  
  
Inside, Neji was fuming. How dare the head order him to do that?! It was HIS life! Damnit! Neji gave one last cold glare at the closed sliding doors, then left. Once he was off the land of the Hyuuga, he sprang into a run to get back to the school. He wanted to see Kurama alone before school began, and they would have to be less friendly. Neji couldn't let the academy students know that he had changed.  
  
He found Kurama sitting up in a tree, left leg stretched out along the wide branch, the right pulled up for his right arm to rest across. It was a laid back position, and Kurama's eyes were closed calmly. He was the picture of serenity, and Neji found himself staring at the redhead as the wind blew his hair gently.  
  
"Come on up," Kurama said, not opening his eyes.  
  
Neji blinked, and then jumped up. He landed on the same branch as Kurama, and sat himself down cross-legged, facing Kurama. He took in a deep breath and let it out, relaxing his tense muscles. "Kurama," Neji said, to get the redhead's attention.  
  
Kurama opened his green eyes, and stared at Neji. "Yes?" he asked softly.  
  
Neji looked down at his folded hands. He didn't know how to begin. He sighed softly to himself, and said, "Complications within my family... prevent me from... doing many things." He swallowed nervously, and continued, "Because of these... I am unable to show in public that I have a 'friend'. If I do, you will most likely be targeted by the head of the Hyuuga main household..." He stopped there, not really knowing what else to say.  
  
And so, Kurama continued for him, "So you want us to keep this secret, and pretend to just be acquaintances in public. And because of this, you will act coldly towards me during class and such. Are you worried that I will no longer be your friend?" Kurama asked a calm and gentle smile on his face.  
  
Neji looked up, his eyes wide, and expressing worry. "I have never had a true friend before, and I don't want you to be dragged into my families... 'affairs'." He didn't say it bluntly, but he knew that the point was made.  
  
Kurama smiled. So he WAS worried. "Don't worry, I will always be your friend. Just try to refrain from over doing it. Treat me as you treat everyone else. Don't worry about my feelings if you say something particularly nasty, I have had much experience with these things. As long as I know that that isn't how you truly feel when you act coldly towards me, then I will be fine. In private we can be friends, and in public we will be... How does rivals sound? That would work quite well..." Kurama smiled beautifully at Neji, to comfort the boy.  
  
Neji smiled slightly, and it was the second smile Kurama had gotten out of him. Kurama just had a way of making him happy... The feeling was strange, and warm. He didn't really want to treat Kurama badly, yet he knew he would have to. "Rivals sounds good," he said with little expression.  
  
Kurama nodded his head and said softly, "Then we cannot walk to school with eachother. Or we could stalk one another." Kurama chuckled slightly. "That would be interesting, and it would be very good practice for our stealth." Kurama looked thoughtful for a moment, then he grinned. "Actually, we will do that. You stalk me for a week, then I'll stalk you. The way we indicate to the other if we found them, will be a hand signal, or a motion..."  
  
Neji smirked suddenly, "Why don't you tug on a bit of hair?"  
  
Kurama blinked, and looked at Neji. "You know, that would work quite well... How about you? What could you do... how about you flex your hands? As if to crack your knuckles."  
  
Neji tried it, and it worked pretty well. He grinned slightly, and said, "It will work. Who will begin this week? And at what time do we start?"  
  
Kurama thought over it for a moment, then said, "You will start this week, since you were the one to spy on me this morning. And it doesn't matter what time, then we won't expect it."  
  
Neji's face became expressionless again, and he said tonelessly, "Then let the games begin..." He jumped down from the tree, and went to class early.  
  
Deciding to stay outside with nature for a while longer, Kurama looked at the small flower he had been growing in his right palm. It was a small white flower that he had found dieing from being trampled. He'd nursed it back to health, and decided that he would replant the flower close to the base of the tree, away from children's feet.  
  
Once he was done, he prepared to wipe off his hands on his uniform, then realized it wouldn't be such a good idea. After all, dirt on black silk did NOT work well. He sighed, and brushed his hands off on eachother, then walked to the school. He went to the bathroom, and washed his hands properly. Hearing the warning bell, he rushed to class, and was the last to arrive. He set foot in the room just as the second bell went. He blinked at the class, who was quite chaotic at the moment, mind. Mentally shrugging, he walked to his desk, and shot a glance at Neji, who was doing a good job of ignoring him. The plan was working perfectly so far, and Kurama looked to Iruka-sensei as the poor chuunin tried to catch the attention of the wild class. In the end, he ended up shouting. Again. Not that THAT was new, eh?  
  
"Now, class, today we will be doing work with our scrolls. This will be a workday only, no action. Pull out your history scrolls on the Hidden Village of the Leaf, and look at section 5..."  
  
Class continued on, Iruka explaining about the wars of the past, and trying to drive the point to the students that there would be a TEST at the end of the week. The students didn't care much, and only a select few ended up paying attention in the end.  
  
Lunch came and went, and soon it was the end of the day. Kurama decided that then would be the best time to try to master his Water Whirlwind no Jutsu. After all, the scroll had been missing from the library for quite a time, and Kurama didn't want to be suspected.  
  
He searched for a place to practice the jutsu, and figured there would be no good spot in the Village. Figures. He had to sneak past the guards on the village wall, slinking along with the practiced ease of a professional thief. He found a nice spot, beside a small stream, and sat down on the ground. Spreading out his senses even farther than he had when he walked, he detected all the energy signatures in the area. Aside from all the animals, there was only one very strong energy far away, probably an ANBU, protecting the border. Breathing in meditatively, he asked the surrounding foliage to alert him of anyone to wander within a kilometer radius of him.  
  
Opening his eyes, he gathered up a small amount of chakra. He was planning on doing a smaller version of the jutsu first, then use more and more water and chakra to make it bigger and more powerful. He used the correct seal for the jutsu, and said softly, "Water Whirlwind no Jutsu."  
  
Water of the creek vanished, to appear before him, moved by his chakra. It formed a small, foot thick tornado. The water spun wobbly, and soon it broke apart, vanishing from existence, his chakra gone with it.  
  
Kurama blinked. This was going to be a lot harder than he had expected. What was the trick to it?  
  
Kurama tried it again, this time using more chakra. More water appeared this time, and it spun longer, but soon collapsed and disappeared.  
  
It seemed that the more chakra he used, the more water. It he used too little, then it wouldn't have enough foundation to support itself. If he too much... what would happen? He could either do it, and figure out what would happen, or try to deduce what would happen by watching how the chakra moved and reacted.  
  
It would take less effort to just do it the easy way, but his chakra supply might deplete, if that was the case. If he did it the hard way, using his head, then he wouldn't waste chakra, and accidentally hurt himself. Not entirely sure if either was smart, he performed another one, the same size as before. He watched the way the chakra flowed, and found that there were two currents. The inside current and the outside current were both going in the same direction, and Kurama soon spotted that because of this, it was causing the whole structure to lose balance.  
  
The water collapsed again, and this time Kurama performed the jutsu with the currents going in opposite directions. It was very hard to maintain, since they created friction against eachother. It was difficult to keep in one piece, and it slowly drained away chakra as you used it. Kurama thought quick, and tried to remember how to make the water cut... He had to use chakra to make the inner current form blades. It took a lot of chakra to form, but soon Kurama had managed to create a whirling cyclone of liquid blades. He collapsed the water, and the jutsu disappeared.  
  
Kurama took deep breaths, having used a lot of chakra. It was exhausting, this jutsu. He would have to figure out a way to narrow down just how much chakra he needed, and get it spinning faster using the same amount... It would be tricky work, and a challenge. However, that was exactly what Kurama wanted, a challenge. He had been without one for too long, living in his own world.  
  
He smiled softly to himself, satisfied that he had done enough for one day. He stood, and prepared to leave the area. That was when his plants alerted him to a strange presence in the area. It was not recognized by the foliage, which was unusual, considering the plants knew, some way or another, all the people in the area. This thing they sensed was an unwelcome human, who did not have good intentions. The plants could sense it.  
  
Kurama closed his eyes and focused on the area surrounding him. He found the foreign human, and checked its aura. Evil practically flowed off this man in waves. Kurama's eyes shot open, but he kept a lock on the evil human. Suddenly, the human stopped moving... and then shot off in Kurama's direction!  
  
Kurama's eyes widened at the speed of the one who came right at him, only a kilometer away. The human would be upon him in seconds with that speed! Kurama didn't really know what to do. This human seemed to be after him, for what reasons, Kurama had no idea. Should he run and inform the chuunin and jounin on the wall? Or should he dispose of the human himself?  
  
He was left without a choice, however, when a shadow shot out of the bushes in front of him. Kurama's eyes widened, before they instantly narrowed. His old personality took control as he was faced with this danger, and he easily dodged out of the way of the initial katana strike.  
  
The striker paused from surprise, and looked around for his prey.  
  
While the attacker searched for Kurama, who was hidden in the foliage, Kurama got a good look at him. He was dressed completely in black, and had no head protector on. An enigma.  
  
Kurama pulled four shuriken from his pouch, and threw them at the black man with deadly precision and incredible speed. The man managed to dodge two, but the other two hit. Hard. One nailed him in the right shoulder and the other in the left kneecap. He was disabled slightly, being unable to move his left leg without causing further damage.  
  
Kurama stayed hidden within the foliage, changing his position constantly. He used a small amount of chakra to make the bush five meters away from him jiggle. The man moved instantly, throwing a kunai at the spot where the bush moved. The black man's eyes narrowed, and then he threw another in the opposite direction. This caused Kurama to smirk, for the action was rather predictable.  
  
Using incredible stealth and speed, Kurama slipped behind the black man, and transformed a blade of grass he had plucked from the ground earlier into a powerful sword, using his youki. Youki would be less detectable than chakra, because it was not used in this world. Anyone who found the residue on the blade of grass would not know what to make of it, and would dismiss it as unimportant. He stabbed forward with the blade, aiming for the heart. It sliced through easily, and blood gushed out from the black man's mouth. He fell forward, and landed on the ground with a soft thump. Kurama cleaned off the grass blade on the cloak of the man and changed it back into a harmless blade of grass. He walked a few feet away, and put the blade back where he took it from, healing where he had broken it.  
  
With all the evidence of a weapon completely gone, besides the slight smell of blood on Kurama, he left the clearing. He figured that an ANBU or a land patrol chuunin or jounin would find it eventually.  
  
Once he got back to the great wall that separated the Hidden Leaf from the rest of Konoha, he easily slipped inside, undetected. He was very adept at hiding his youki, and so hiding chakra wasn't that different.  
  
He arrived at home not much later, and found the house to be empty. He blinked when no sign of Kakashi was visible. Where had he gone? Was he called out for a mission? Kurama had no idea, and so he slipped out of his sandals, and prepared to have a shower, to wash away the slight scent of blood. No normal human would be able to smell it on him, but Kurama didn't like the smell.  
  
Stripping off his cloths in the bathroom, he hopped into the shower and turned on the water. The cool droplets beat down on him, calming his adrenaline rush. He slowly slipped out of his 'killer mode' as he relaxed. Sufficiently cooled, Kurama turned up the heat, and sighed at the warm water. It was lovely after that workout with the Water Whirlwind no Jutsu. The fight with that black man had taken less energy than the jutsu, and Kurama frowned to himself. He needed to practice that jutsu until he used as little chakra possible as effective as he could. Precision was what he needed while working with chakra, and was something he had long since perfected with his youki.  
  
Once he had washed his hair, and washed the scent of blood from his tanned skin, Kurama got out of the shower. He rubbed his hair dry, and then wrapped the towel around his lower half. He picked his dirty black clothes up off the ground, and scowled at the smell of blood. He put them on the floor of his room, planning on washing them. Grabbing a midnight blue Chinese outfit with a white shirt and pants, he pulled them on and picked up the silk outfit on the floor.  
  
Kurama walked down the hall and back into the bathroom. He turned on the cold water in the sink, and placed the silk 'cover' in it. He took a seed from his hair, and grew it on his palm. He dunked it in the water, and it released a light blue liquid that smelt like soap. Placing the makai plant on the side of the sink for later use, Kurama began to gently wash out the scent of blood and the grime of the day. Once he finished, he repeated the process with the shirt and pants.  
  
Soon his uniform was cleaned, and Kurama hung it up to dry on the bar that the shower curtain hung from. He walked from the bathroom, and went to the kitchen to get something to eat. Digging through the fridge, he discovered that half the food was out of date. Again. Rolling his eyes, Kurama wondered if Kakashi ever ate anything besides ramen and cereal. Knowing Kakashi, probably not.  
  
Kurama dumped the bread and yogurt into the garbage, and closed the fridge. He wouldn't trust anything in there to be edible. Ever. And so, he decided that it was time to take over shopping for Kakashi. He hadn't been entirely eager to, at first, with both the idea of cooking and the idea of shopping, but now he was warming up to the idea slightly. After all, he wanted a real meal for once, and he wouldn't DARE trust Kakashi to make a real meal. Of course, no accident would ever happen involving Kakashi's cooking, because the jounin was too LAZY to cook ANYWAY.  
  
A sigh escaped Kurama's lips, and he, too tired to go shopping at the moment, grabbed an energy bar from the cupboard and went back to his room. He flopped bonelessly down onto his futon, completely exhausted, physically and chakra wise.  
  
Kurama fell asleep quickly, entering the world of dreams as he closed his heavenly emerald eyes.  
  
This chapter deserves a review! It was too damn long to get nuthin!  
  
Ack! (falls over with swirly eyes) Oro. -


	10. Chapter Ten

**Kurama in Narutoland**  
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Chapter Ten:  
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The days went on without a hitch, and Kurama had created a pattern in which he lived. Every morning he would get up BEFORE sunrise (to prevent his futon from getting soaked by an evil Kakashi). After getting dressed, he would go and make himself a bowl of cereal. After a few months of no complaint about cleaning up the mess of a spilt bowl of cereal, Kakashi got bored of bugging an unresponsive Kurama, and began reading his Icha Icha Paradise book double time.  
  
After an uneventful morning, Kurama would walk early to school one week, being stalked by Neji. He would tug on a lock of his beautiful red hair whenever Neji became humanly detectable (Kurama could sense him the whole time with his demonic abilities). The next week, he would stalk Neji. He was surprised to find that the boy was very skilled at seeing Kurama, flexing his hands as a sign that he had spotted the redhead. Kurama had deduced that it was the technique 'Byakugan' that allowed Neji to see him. After Neji had continued to detect Kurama for half the week with his eyes, Kurama had ordered him to NOT use them, and to use his other senses. Neji was forced to not use his eyes, and this sharpened his other senses immensely.  
  
After the morning fun, they would both arrive at the academy at the same time, though they would walk onto the campus from different ends. Kurama would go to his favourite tree, and Neji would lie down on a small hill of grass and stare at the sky. They would sneak peaks at eachother, and occasionally, Kurama would send Neji a grin. Neji kept his emotions non- existent, however.  
  
Neji would go to class early, and Kurama would always arrive at the last second. Class would begin, and Iruka-sensei would teach them all stuff about being a ninja etc. There was a test at the end of every week, and several small quizzes each day. Other than these things, class was rather uneventful as well.  
  
After school was over for the day, Kurama would go to a small, forested area inside the village (he learned his lesson when he was attacked the first time). Within this forested area was a small lake, crystal clear, and it sparkled in the sun and moonlight. Kurama found this the perfect place to train. He had managed to master the Water Whirlwind no Jutsu in a month, and was on to harder jutsu, in other elements. The Water Whirlwind no Jutsu was perfected down to needing an incredibly small amount of chakra, yet it demanded an incredible amount of control and precision. Kurama had even gotten to the point when he didn't need a water source nearby to perform the jutsu, amazingly.  
  
The jutsu he was working on now, was the Bushin no Jutsu. After mastering three jutsu (Water Whirlwind, a fire element called 'Liquid Fire', and a lightening jutsu called 'Thunder Strike'), Kurama, as well as the whole class, had been trying to learn 'Bushin'. Not many were successful, so far, and Kurama was having surprising difficulties with this jutsu. Being a youko, he was quite accustomed to using elements. However, he had never learned an illusion jutsu before, which the Bushin basically was. Therefore, he had trouble learning the concept.  
  
Kurama approached Iruka-sensei after class was over, wanting to ask for help with the Bushin.  
  
Iruka looked up from grading papers to see Kurama standing before him, looking slightly nervous. "Yes, Kurama?" Iruka said with a smile.  
  
Kurama smiled back and asked, "Iruka-sensei, could you please teach me the concept of Bushin? I can't understand it the way you explain it in class, and I normally don't have problems with jutsu.  
  
Iruka placed down his pen. "What jutsu do you already know?" he asked with a friendly smile.  
  
"Water Whirlwind, Liquid Fire, and Thunder Strike."  
  
Iruka blinked. Had he just heard Kurama right? Had the boy just named off INCREDIBLY complicated jutsu to him? Oh my... he HAD. Iruka couldn't help but stare at Kurama. He mentally shook his head clear of shock. He had to explain it to Kurama in a way that he would understand... 'He works with elemental jutsu, mostly, it seems. How could I explain it to him...' "Kurama, what is your favourite element?"  
  
Kurama answered instantly, "Plants."  
  
Iruka thought it a strange choice, but thought up a strategy quickly. "Alright, imagine that there is a plant growing inside you. This plant is your chakra. Imagine that your chakra is trying to grow a bud, but your body will never let it. And so, imagine yourself growing a bud. When his bud blooms, there are two flowers. Two of you. Now, use chakra, and try to do this."  
  
Kurama blinked. That was interesting way of explaining things... Nevertheless, Kurama, with his eyes open, imagined the flower that was his chakra. He grew a bud, and made it bloom suddenly... HOLY CRAP! There before him stood a copy of himself! Kurama blinked, his concentration shattering, and the kage bushin disappeared with a poof.  
  
Iruka smiled brightly and exclaimed, "Good! Very good! Do you understand now?"  
  
Kurama blinked, then smiled beautifully. "Domo arigatou gozaimasu," he said with a bow. (Thank you very much)  
  
Iruka blinked at the respect, then blushed slightly. "You're welcome. I'll help any time," he said with a smile.  
  
Kurama nodded his head, and left the classroom. Now it was time to practice this new jutsu... He understood everything written about a bushin. Like the fact that the more chakra you put in the clone, the more it will seem like you, and all the other things...  
  
After basically mastering the Bushin no Jutsu, Kurama decided to call it quits for the day, and get some well-deserved rest.  
  
He arrived at home to find Kakashi there...  
  
Sitting at the table...  
  
NOT reading his Icha Icha Paradise book...  
  
Something big was up. What? Kurama had no clue.  
  
Kakashi looked up when Kurama entered the house, his expression serious. He stood when Kurama froze and stared at him. He walked toward Kurama, who blinked at him with confusion in his eyes. He stood before Kurama and said calmly, "There is something I need to discuss with you."  
  
Kurama frowned before he, too, became serious. A calm serenity formed like liquid on his face, betraying no emotion. "What is wrong, Kakashi?" Kurama asked calmly, in a voice that sounded far older than he physically was.  
  
Kakashi motioned for Kurama to sit down. The redhead did so. Kakashi sat across from him at the kitchen table, and began, "A month or so ago, a strange thing happened. A black dressed man managed to slip by the ANBU that patrol our borders, but we were not aware of this until he was dead. He died, mysteriously, and no one could figure out what killed him, or who. The weapon was believed to be a blade, but it was not like the katana that he black man carried. It had a different formation, too, and it was thinner. Much thinner than any metal blade can be. This man was found dead, the weapon was not found, and we know not who to thank for their services."  
  
Kurama nodded his head, taking in the information that he already knew.  
  
"Anyway, now more of those black men have been caught after we increased the patrols on our lands. A few chuunin and one jounin have died at the hands of these black men. They where no headbands, and there is no form of identification on their bodies. Do you know anything about these men?" Kakashi asked.  
  
Kurama thought over all of the information, thinking of who they might be. He didn't know, but he was hoping that they might ring a bell... Wait... could THAT be a possibility? "Now, I know nothing of these black men," Kurama began, "but is there a possibility that they are missing-nin?"  
  
Kakashi shook his head. 'The only reason I am telling Kurama this, is that it might be good to have a different opinion from the normal chuunin and jounin. Perhaps Kurama might remember something from his lost past that could clue us in the right direction...'  
  
"I see... Perhaps... Do you think they could be marked in a different way? Not physically, but... mentally? Or their chakra? Or their aura? Is there anything that matches?"  
  
Kakashi thought for a moment, then he remembered something... "The jounin and ANBU who have killed these black men said that their auras were... evil. Just evil..."  
  
"Auras... Do they normally reflect on a person's mentality? There are many layers to the human aura. The aura closest to the body shows the physical health of a person. The next two layers show the mentality and spirituality. A person's aura cannot be 'evil' and just evil. There must be something else..."  
  
Kakashi was staring at Kurama now, who looked far wiser than he should be at this age... The kid was an enigma... A complete mystery. Though, at the moment, a welcome mystery. They needed to figure out who was behind these attacks. "Kurama, do you by any chance have experience in reading auras so thoroughly?"  
  
Kurama knew he was treading on dangerous ground. He could be questioned about his abilities, and acting so intelligent and wise in front of people was such a wise thing to do if he was trying to blend in. However, he also needed to help his village in any way possible. "I am very skilled in that area, yes," Kurama said, a small smile appearing on his face.  
  
Kakashi nodded. "Could you please come with me to Hokage? We have managed to capture one of these black men, and we cannot get any information out of him through interrogation."  
  
Kurama nodded his head, and followed Kakashi out the door. He easily kept up with the quick pace of the jounin as they headed in the direction of the Hokage's office. They arrived within minutes, and were met with a group of jounin and ANBU, as well as the Third Hokage.  
  
The Third nodded to Kakashi and seemed mildly surprised that Kurama was with him. He motioned for Kakashi to follow him, and began to walk into a part of the office Kurama hadn't known existed.  
  
It was dark and gloomy from the lack of light as the Hokage lead them down a few staircases. They arrived in a room lit only by a few electric lights. In the middle of the room a man sat, his head bowed, his body tied to a chair that was stuck to the floor. Seals prevented him from escaping, Kurama noted.  
  
"This is the black man that one of our ANBU managed to capture. He has refused to talk, and tried to kill himself by biting his tongue a few times," Hokage spoke blandly.  
  
Kakashi nodded his head, and spotted a few of the best ANBU in the slight shadows of the room. He looked to Kurama, who was already walking toward the man in the chair.  
  
Kurama examined the man. He looked EXACTLY like the one he had killed. Interesting. So there really WAS no distinguishing features among them. He reached forward to tilt the man's chin up... He was unconscious. How irritating. Had he starved himself of air? That was probable, if he couldn't bite his tongue and choke to death on the blood.  
  
Kurama reached behind the man, searching for a point on the neck... ah, there it was. He pinched the nerve, and suddenly the man was fully conscious and staring at Kurama with confused black eyes.  
  
Kurama smiled brilliantly, looking as much like a girl as he could. He said in a slightly higher pitched voice than normal, "So you're finally awake, are you?" He smiled childishly, mentally grinning. This would be entertaining. "So tell me, mister, what's your name?"  
  
The man blinked, then said tonelessly, "Akuran."  
  
"Akuran..." Kurama held a finger up to his chin, looking cutely innocent. He smiled brightly and said immaturely, "I like that name! Tell me mister, why are you dressed all in black?"  
  
The man blinked stupidly again, and said coldly, "The mistress doesn't like colour, child, now leave me be."  
  
Kurama pouted cutely with watering eyes, "You don't like me?" He sniffed for effect. Man, having this small body really helped with this charade. Heh.  
  
The man's eyes widened slightly, and he hurried to say, "I never said I didn't like you!"  
  
Kurama sniffled again, and asked softly, "Do you like me then?"  
  
The man had an irritated look on his face, and he looked up to see that the room was empty. What? Wasn't the Hokage and a jounin standing there not too long ago? Where did all the ANBU in the room go?  
  
Kurama, unbeknownst to the man in black, was pulling a trick. He had used his chakra to ensnare the man's mind, and now he could get the man to do whatever he wanted to do, as long as the man was 'willing'. The child's act really helped here. Gently catching the man's attention again, Kurama asked, "Why does your mistress hate colour, mister?"  
  
"My mistress hates colour because she... is..." the man choked here, as if unable to get the words from his mouth.  
  
Kurama frowned. This man had an extremely strong mental block on the information, and this was too much like an interrogation for the block's liking. Hm... A game. "I know! We'll play a game, mister! Its called 'questionaire'. You ask a question about me, and then I get ask a question about you!"  
  
The man nodded, a small smile on his face. "I get to ask first, eh? Alright, what's your mom and dad's names?"  
  
Kurama had long since perfected the art of lying. "My mommy's name is Keiko and my daddy's name is Jin. Now it's my turn! My turn! What is your best friend's name?"  
  
The man frowned. "I don't have a best friend."  
  
Kurama frowned cutely. "No best friend? Then I get to ask another question. What are the names of YOUR mommy and daddy?"  
  
The man frowned again, and his eyes widened when he said, "I... can't... remember..."  
  
Kurama smirked mentally. This was getting him many answers. "What? No fair! I get to ask another question then! I get to ask until I get an answer that you remember! Okay? Okay! Um..." Kurama put a finger to his chin cutely and frowned adorably in thought. "Ooh! I know! I know! Since you didn't know the names of your mommy and daddy and best friend, then you must know this answer! What is your mistress's name?" Kurama had planned this out perfectly.  
  
The man smiled. He was well-trapped in Kurama's web of mental chakra. Doing excercises with mental energies with Hiei had taught Kurama many things. "My mistress's name is Anusaian, though she likes to be called Kage no Akume, Shadow Demon."  
  
Kurama had gotten a very valluable piece of information from this man who was smiling proudly at being able to answer the question. "Good job mister! Now you get to ask me a question again!"  
  
The man smiled more, and asked, starting to like the game, "How old are you, little girl?"  
  
Kurama smiled with a giggle, "I'm a full seven years old! Mommy is proud of me!"  
  
"Did you have a fun birthday party?" the man asked.  
  
"I did! We had lots of fun! And I had all my friends over!" Kurama blinked cutely, pretending that he just realized what had happened. He pouted cutely. "No fair! Mister tricked me! Now I get to ask two questions!"  
  
The man chuckled to himself, very much enjoying the 'game'. "Go right ahead, little girl," he said with a smile.  
  
Kurama grinned childishly, and asked, "Where are your mommy and daddy?"  
  
The man frowned, as if in thought. "I can't remember..."  
  
Kurama said softly, "But you can... you can remember anything you want to... you can say anything you want to... you are free... That is why you are here." He weaved his chakra, mixed with youki, through the man's mind, searching for the mind block on his memories. "Try to remember, mister, you can do it! I know you can!" Even as Kurama said this, the man tried to remember. Kurama found the block of youki, and tore it to pieces.  
  
"I remember! I remember everything now! My parent's names are Ayami and Taino, they are... They are..." the man froze, and a sorrowful expression came across his face. "They are dead... I remember now... Mistress killed them... she killed them by... by..." The man's eyes widened insanely.  
  
Kurama knew he had to get this man to get a grip on himself. If not, then he would become completely insane. He took the man's face into his hands and cooed softly, "It's alright mister... Mistress is no where near us... she cannot hurt you. It's okay to tell me, I'll keep the secret safe. I'll take on part of the burden of knowing... of seeing..." With that last part said, Kurama closed his eyes and entered the willing man's mind. He saw the pictures of bloodied corpses surround him as he flashed through the thoughts. Then he ran into the thought he WANTED to see. The memory of the man's parents. He watched what happened, as if watching a movie...  
  
-)-)(-)(-(-  
  
Akuran stood off to the side of the large hallway, watching as his horrible and heartless mistress took out her anger on her subjects. He could do nothing to help the poor people who suffered such a fate. All he could to was watch, and hopefully pass on the knowledge on to the outer world. To the villages. Perhaps he could survive and tell them of the monster that had been created in this vile hallway...  
  
The screams suddenly stopped, and Akuran turned his attention back to his mistress. His eyes widened at the sight of his mother and father...  
  
No...  
  
She couldn't...  
  
She could...  
  
She wouldn't...  
  
She would...  
  
She didn't...  
  
She did...  
  
The mistress held out her hand, then crushed it into a fist, causing his parent's heads to explode. Blood gushed everywhere, and chunks of bone from their skulls shot in all directions, killing a few people...  
  
His parents...  
  
They...  
  
They were...  
  
-)-)(-)(-(-  
  
Kurama stumbled back from the man, Akuran. His expression was one of pure horror... Akuran's head was bowed, and he was slowly lifting it to look at the 'girl', to see her reaction. Kurama pulled himself together in that instant, completely relying on his demonic traits to keep the emotions form his more human than demon mind. He assumed his childlike innocence again, and planned on finishing the job he had began.  
  
The smell of blood was palpable...  
  
Kurama could still smell it...  
  
From Akuran's memory...  
  
Tears were in Akuran's mind as he looked to the 'girl' who he had been having so much fun with. "They died... like that... in front of my own eyes..." he sobbed.  
  
Kurama, mind set, walked forward with a slightly strained innocence on his face. "I'm so sorry, mister. Why did she do that? How?" he asked, putting real emotion into the last two questions.  
  
The man took in a deep shuddering breath, and began his story. Since there was no longer a block on his mentality, his memories were clear, and he was no longer just a puppet to be controlled by the Kage no Akume. "It began when our mistress, Kinakoi, found a strange item buried deep down in the caves of our lands...  
  
Intense, ne? Cliffhanger. Yes. A cliffhanger. I'm evil ain't I? Hehheh.


	11. Chapter Eleven

**Kurama in Narutoland**  
.

.  
Chapter Eleven:  
.

.  
"It began when our mistress, Kinakoi, found a strange item buried deep down in the caves of our lands...  
  
-)-)Kinakoi's Tale(-(-  
  
A beautiful woman, no more than twenty-five years old, stood on a magnificent balcony. She stared out over her father's lands. They were beautiful and breathtaking. Lush green grass, healthy trees, exotic flowers... This was the perfect kingdom in Kinakoi's mind. She smiled, her deep and heavenly dark blue eyes full of laughter and joy. She loved her life, her father, her land... everything that could be perfect, was perfect in every way. Her mother had died when she was young, but that had been a good thing. Her mother, though beautiful and heavenly, was cruel and greedy, and had attempted to take the thrown.  
  
Kinakoi's father had stopped her, and became known as 'Tsutsui the Great'. Kinakoi personally thought that the name was rather lame, but her father liked it, and she wanted him to be happy.  
  
Kinakoi was the opposite of her mother in every way, aside from looks. She was caring, loving, hopeful, gentle, giving, compassionate... The list went on, and no one suspected that Kinakoi of all people would fall to the darkness...  
  
Yet she did.  
  
It was on a dark and stormy night, when the light of the sun didn't reach the villagers of the kingdom. People began to worry about the storm. Never before had there been such a violent assembly of clouds, rain, and cold.  
  
With the storm came hopelessness. It was destroying crop, as well as storage, and had killed more than half the animals in the kingdom in a day. It seemed that the storm would bring about the end of the once prosperous kindom...  
  
Or would it?  
  
One day, the king became ill, and died the next day, with his beautiful daughter Kinakoi by his side. He was a happy man, and gave all of his kindom and treasures to his one heir.  
  
Kinakoi took up the thrown, and the lives of her people was in her hands. She knew not what to do, and disappeared for a few days from the site of anyone.  
  
Two days later she reappeared...  
  
But she was changed.  
  
She was no longer the innocent and loving daughter of Tsutsui, she was Kage no Akume, a heavenly demon who sent the storm away, her long dark blue hair flowing like liquid in the wind.  
  
The people cheered for her, for she was their savior, and they had no one else to look to when the going got tough.  
  
However, Kinakoi was not the same, and she cared not for the people. The only reason she sent the storm away was because it was destroying her land. She cared not for the people.  
  
Only the land.  
  
The land that, in time, she turned into a barren wasteland.  
  
The people were forced to flee the kingdom, travelling far across the ocean to reach new land. They arrived on the far away lands, never to be seen again.  
  
The people who hadn't managed to escape, however, were punished. The only ones left alive were those who could fight...  
  
-)-)End Kinakoi's Tale(-(-  
  
Akuran breathed a shuddering breath. A small smile reached his lips. "I am free, now..." he whispered, then his body began to turn to ash, and pool on the chair where he use to sit.  
  
Kurama was staring at the spot where Akuran had just been. Had he just imagined it or... No, he hadn't imagined it. A spell had been placed on Akuran. A very strong spell. It kept him alive for so long... yet once he was free, it vanished, and he died along with it. How long had this poor man been alive? How long had it been since this Kinakoi had been unleashed upon the world.  
  
Kurama turned to the Third and stared at the man. He asked softly, "Did you get the information that you needed?"  
  
The Third Hokage blinked, and mulled over all the information that had been taken from the captured black man, Akuran. This redhead, Kurama, was quite good at this sort of thing... VERY good, he corrected himself. Very good at lying too it seemed.  
  
"What did you see that we did not see, about the man's parents," Hokage asked.  
  
Kurama blinked and then raised a calm eyebrow. He asked coolly, "Are you sure you want to see that? It was quite... unpleasant..." The Third nodded his head, and Kurama walked towards him. He motioned for the old man to lean down slightly, and placed his fingers on his temples. He sent the memory to the old man with every sharp detail, and watched the Third's expression change from surprise, to barely hidden shock. He cleared his throat when Kurama was done, and straightened.  
  
Hokage looked around at his ANBU. "You may leave now," he said calmly, and they all disappeared in puffs of smoke. He turned to Kurama and said softly, "You and I need to talk."  
  
Kurama, unable to do anything else, nodded his head, and waited.  
  
"Kakashi, if you would please go home? I'm sure you need your sleep as much as the rest of us. Kurama will be home shortly."  
  
Kakashi nodded his head, and disappeared with a puff of smoke as well.  
  
The Third motioned for Kurama to follow him, and he did so. They made their way back up the stairs to Hokage's office. The ANBU were gone, back to their patrols and whatever they usually did.  
  
That left just the two of them.  
  
Hokage motioned for Kurama to have a seat. Kurama did so with grace, and waited for the questioning.  
  
Hokage began by asking, "I'm sure you remember who you are, and always did, and now I ask of you, who are you?"  
  
"My name is Kurama. Youko Kurama, if you will. I have another name as well, Minamino Shuiichi."  
  
Hokage nodded his head and said with his gravelly voice, "Now, I know you are quite capable of lying completely to me, but I trust you will tell me the truth. Where do you come from?"  
  
"I... I don't come from anywhere around here..."  
  
Hokage raised an eyebrow, and Kurama sighed.  
  
"Very well. I come from a different world."  
  
Hokage's brow raised in surprise. "Really? And how did you get from that world to this?"  
  
"I followed a fox."  
  
"A fox."  
  
"Yes, a fox."  
  
"..."  
  
"..."  
  
"Why did you follow this fox?"  
  
"Because I have a fox's curiosity."  
  
"And this fox... what happened?"  
  
"It lead me from a park in my home city to a cave. I followed it through the cave and ended up here."  
  
"Surely you don't need me to tell you to continue."  
  
Kurama sighed and began his little tale. "I listened for running water and took off in its direction. I noticed I wasn't running very fast and looked down at myself. I was four years younger. Imagine how strange that would be."  
  
Hokage nodded his head and motioned for Kurama to continue.  
  
"I went to look for the cave again and found it gone. It was getting late, and I didn't know where the hell I was, so I searched for shelter. I slept in a tree. Kakashi found me and took me here, and you know the rest."  
  
Hokage nodded, and then said, "That explains who you are and where you come from, but it does not tell me what you are. Explain your abilities."  
  
Kurama sighed softly and asked, "What abilities? Which ones?"  
  
Hokage sighed as well, and said, "Them all preferably."  
  
"All of them? Very well. I'll start with the strength and agility..."  
  
"I'm not human."  
  
Hokage blinked and raised an eyebrow.  
  
"I'm a spirit fox called Youko Kurama. I 'died' and fused my spirit with the fetus of a pregnant human. I was 'reborn' as a human, and had to wait until after puberty for my previous powers. I was raised by my human mother, Minamino Shiori, and soon began to love her when she saved my life. Then I learned human emotions, and began to care for the species. My mother taught me compassion and love, and I am who I am today because of her. If it hadn't been for her, I'd still be a cold-blooded killer.  
  
"Being a youko, a spirit fox, I am able to manipulate plants. This comes along with the demonic strength. I worked very hard to be as powerful as I could during the days I was Youko Kurama. The mental abilities comes from practicing with a demon friend of mine, who has that ability, and taught me a few things."  
  
Hokage didn't even blink. All this was too crazy to be bullshit, was the only thought that reached his blank mind. Wow. "So you are a very powerful demon half-human, and you suddenly appeared in this world without a warning?" Hokage raised an eyebrow. "You like it here? Is that why you've stayed, and not tried to find a way home?"  
  
Kurama lowered his gaze to his hands, and said softly, "Yes, I like it very much here. People do not stare at me like I'm a monster if I am able to run at incredible speeds or lift gigantic rocks. They don't think I'm a monster since I am able to manipulate plants and such. That is why I like it here, because for the first time, I have a place where I truly fit in."  
  
Kurama looked up, his gaze pleading.  
  
Hokage sighed, and said, "I will not send you away or anything, so don't start giving me the puppy-dog look, it never works. You are a student of this village, and are to be a ninja. As long as you swear loyalty to the Hokage, then you may stay and learn. Look me in the eye and tell me that you are my tool. My shinobi. My weapon to use to win wars and assassinate enemies."  
  
Kurama stood from his chair and walked around to stand beside Hokage. He kneeled on the ground, and held his hand to his heart. Looking Hokage in the eyes, he said with sincerity, "I, Minamino Kurama, swear to serve the Hokage to my death. I swear to be his weapon, to use as he sees fit."  
  
Hokage stared Kurama in the eyes, and examined the boy. He nodded his head, and said calmly, "I accept your loyalty, and as my shinobi, you shall be rewarded with your services." Hokage nodded at Kurama again, as a dismissal.  
  
Kurama stood, and bowed. He stood before the Hokage's desk again, and bowed, walking backwards to make his exit. As soon as he was out of the doors, a sigh escaped him.  
  
Today was a long day.  
  
End of chapter. MWHAHAHAHAHA!!!! I got to bed now. It is 2:26 AM. I am pooped. Oyasumi nasai!


	12. Chapter Twelve

**Kurama in Narutoland  
**.

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Chapter Twelve:  
.

.  
Kurama arrived home not much later, eyes heavy and mind over stressed. As soon as he entered the house, he let out a sigh. Walking to his room, he prepared to go to bed. He flopped down onto the futon mattress and closed his eyes. He groaned when he realized he had to clean his uniform still.  
  
Getting up off the mattress, he stripped out of his black Chinese fighting outfit that he wore to school every day. He was SO going to get a few pairs made after tonight. Frowning as he washed the thing, he wondered what time it was. Looking on a clock that hung in the bathroom, Kurama was surprised to find that it was already 11:14 p.m. Time really flew by...  
  
He finished washing his outfit quickly, and hung it up to dry. Once finished, he walked back to his bedroom and slipped on some pajamas. He flopped onto the futon and fell into the welcoming darkness of sleep.  
  
----Next Morning----  
  
Kurama woke up and saw that the sun was just about to rise. Would he EVER get to sleep in, ONCE? He guessed not, when Kakashi suddenly came in with a bucket of cold water. Kurama glared, and flung a kunai at the bucket. It sprung a leak, and Kakashi had to run to prevent it from spilling too much. Smirking when he heard the water being dumped down the sink, Kurama got out of bed. He wondered to the bathroom, passing Kakashi on the way, and retrieved his outfit. He then walked back to his room and shut the door behind him. Taking a deep breath, Kurama let it out slowly to relax his body. He slipped out of his pajamas and got into his black and red trimmed Chinese uniform. Grabbing a comb, Kurama pulled it through his hair.  
  
A week later, a festival was taking place, and Kurama planned on dragging Neji to it. He was going to place a nasty little trick on Neji: dressing up like a girl, so that the Hyuuga main house could never find him.  
  
Kurama chuckled aloud at that thought, and he knew that he would have to go buy a kimono for the night. He left his bedroom and threw a bowl of cereal together. He ate it quickly, and was out the door before Kakashi could say a thing.  
  
Walking down the streets, Kurama wondered what kind of kimono he should get. The selection probably wouldn't be the best, but it wouldn't be horrible either. Oh well, Kurama could spiff it up if he had to. Smiling, he walked down the street. Neji was stalking him this week, and had improved greatly from before. Now Kurama had to use his demonic senses to detect the black-haired boy, and he slowly made it harder for the him, so his skills increased even more.  
  
Once they arrived at school, Kurama went to his tree and Neji to his hill. Sensing the auras in the area, Kurama detected no one near. He hopped down from his tree, silently, with practiced grace, and made his way to Neji. Putting no effort into hiding himself, Kurama sat down next to the white- eyed boy. "Neji," he began, "There's a festival next week... Would you go with me?"  
  
Neji was surprised, and turned to look at Kurama with a raised eyebrow. "What about the main house?"  
  
Kurama smirked and said, "I have that taken care of."  
  
Raising his eyebrow again, Neji wondered what Kurama could have in mind. "Very well. I will go."  
  
Kurama smiled and said, "Meet me at Ichiraku at seven. I'll be a little late, but be there early, okay?" When Neji nodded his head, Kurama smiled and stood. Brushing off his outfit, he went back to his tree.  
  
The morning continued on without a hitch, and school was rather boring as well. Iruka made them show him how they had progressed with the Kage Bushin no Jutsu. Kurama was surprised to find that many of the students were having problems, yet none of them approached Iruka for help, like he had.  
  
After school Kurama ran home to get his savings. He grabbed it, and went looking for a suitable kimono. He found a rather plain black one with a silver obi, and purchased it. Travelling to the craft store in the area, Kurama also bought some needles, and silver thread.  
  
Quickly running home, Kurama got to work. Pulling out the silver thread and cutting off an arm long piece, he thought about what he would embroider onto it. A smile reached his lips, and he started sewing.  
  
Late into the night, Kurama finally checked the time. It was 9:00 p.m., and Kurama was making good timing. The silver kitsune on the back was half done, and he had a whole week to finish the silk kimono. The kitsune had two tails, and stood ready to attack, its fangs bared. Plants grew wildly around it, and Kurama planned on having them wrap around the rest of the kimono beautifully. He also planned on putting a large and beautiful flower on the front of the obi, so it would be right over his stomach. Vines would be coming away from the flower, to mark a wild trail to the ends of the obi.  
  
Having a very good eye helped Kurama, for he could get the detail very exact. At the moment, he had finished the entire outline and main lines of the silver kitsune, and was now working on the plants.  
  
Working well into the night, Kurama got all the main lines done of the entire kimono, and only had to do the details and the obi. He folded up his 'project', and hid it in his dresser, and then crashed on his futon.  
  
Kurama reluctantly woke with the sun the next morning, and had to splash water on to his face to wake him up. He grabbed an energy bar from the cupboard, and absently remembered that he was going to have to start shopping and cooking. Glaring at the reminder, he ate the energy bar, and made himself a cup of coffee. He was surprised to find that Kakashi was gone, and that Neji had let himself in. The boy was allowed to see Kurama half-dead as he plopped himself down at the kitchen table and took a huge swig of coffee.  
  
Neji was staring at Kurama. Never before had he seen the redhead so... tired. Very tired, it seemed. Wasn't he getting enough sleep? He voiced his question, and only got a grunt from Kurama as a response.  
  
Kurama heard Neji ask him something, but he couldn't decode its meaning with his sleep-fogged mind. Bringing his hands to his face, he focused on waking up, and waited for the coffee to work its wonders. It didn't take long, and he was soon alert and awake. "What was that, Neji?" he asked.  
  
The corner of Neji's mouth twitched up, and he asked, "Aren't you getting enough sleep?"  
  
Kurama frowned, and thought back, trying to get something out of his fogged mind. "No, I stayed up late last night working on a project."  
  
"What kind of project?"  
  
"It's a secret."  
  
"Really," Neji said sarcastically. Curiosity got the better of him, but he didn't push the subject. He watched as Kurama finished his energy bar and gulped down the rest of his coffee. They left the house together, Kurama fully aware once again.  
  
"Is it wise to walk together?" Kurama asked, not really believing it was, personally.  
  
Neji glanced at Kurama, and then said, "Not many people are up this early, and the Hyuuga no longer care that I leave early. No one will be about that will cause trouble."  
  
Kurama nodded his head, but was still wary of the villagers, and didn't want anything bad to happen. He trusted Neji, however, and so they walked to school together. Once they arrived, they went to their respective places, Kurama to his tree and Neji to his hill. They stared at the sky for the majority of the morning, and the day commenced.  
  
The week went by rather swiftly, with Kurama working on his kimono until late at night the whole time. He managed to finish all the embroidery on Thursday, and used Friday as a recuperation day. Catching up on his sleep (he went to bed a 6 p.m. that night), Kurama prepared himself for the festival on Saturday. He had everything in order, from his finished kimono to hair clips and make-up. Yes. Make-up. He couldn't go looking like himself could he? He'd have to spiff himself up. It wouldn't be that hard, after all, Kurama knew exactly how much make-up to put on, because of his sensual kitsune eye (winkwinknudgenudge).  
  
Saturday arrived quickly, and before Kurama knew it, he was putting on his black under-kimono (what are those things called?). Next, he slipped on the kimono, and tied the obi (which was rather difficult). Looking at himself in the mirror, he smiled. The kimono was positively beautiful! Glancing at the clock, he saw that it was 6:12. He had approximately fifty minutes until he had to be at Ichiraku, to meet Neji. Kurama reached for the make- up, and put on a small amount of blush and pink eyeshadow. Next, he put on red lipstick, the same colour as his hair, and put a thin coating of shiny lipstick protector on top. Standing from where he had sat, Kurama eyed himself in the mirror. He looked very feminine, but he still wasn't satisfied. Taking a large silver rectangular clip, he pulled his hair back in a ponytail and twisted it, to keep the hairs together. Next, he lifted the hair and flattened it against the back of his head, and used the clip to make it stay like that. The hair stuck upwards, but looked very nice. To complete the picture, Kurama placed a small silver flower clip on a chunk of his bangs.  
  
Smirking at his looks, he left his room to show Kakashi. The poor old man had a nosebleed, and stared in shock at his 'adopted son'. "What... in the world..." was all he was able to get out as he plugged his nose.  
  
Kurama smiled beautifully, and twirled around, showing his nice ass. "What do you think?" he asked innocently.  
  
Kakashi blinked. "You're beautiful... but why are you dressed like a girl?"  
  
Kurama smirked sexily, and walked up to Kakashi. He pecked Kakashi on the cheek, and said cheerfully, "Hyuuga Neji and I are going to the festival together, but we don't want to be seen in public together. Neji is afraid his clan leader might do something, to him or me, and so I decided to dress up like a girl. He doesn't know this, of course." Kurama chuckled evilly, and brought out the black fan he had found came with the kimono. It had a silver flower painted on it. Flicking it open, he held it to his face and giggled behind it. "Am I girly enough?" he asked.  
  
Kakashi blinked. "Most boys your age wouldn't give up their masculinity if you offered them everything in the world, and yet you're doing this willingly!" Kakashi was confused, and tilted his head to the side cutely.  
  
Kurama laughed melodically, his voice sounding like bells in the breeze. "Unlike most boys my age, I am also quite in touch with my feminine side," he said with a grin. Checking the time, he discovered that he had ten minutes to meet Neji. "Well, I've got to go now, have a wonderful night, Kashi-chan," he said with a wink.  
  
Kurama's hitai-ate headband was left on his desk.  
  
Walking down the light-strewn street, Kurama smiled cheerfully. This would be a VERY enjoyable evening. People walked along the streets with happy faces, dressed in old-styled yukata and kimono (I THINK those things the men wear are yukata, but don't take MY word for it).  
  
Kurama smiled beautifully at the people he passed. On his were a pair of sandals he had bought a while ago, with the two toe socks to go with it. He arrived at Ichiraku within fifteen minutes or so, and looked around for Neji. To his surprise, Neji had dressed in a dark blue yukata with an ice- shard pattern placed here and there. The white-eyed boy seemed to be looking for someone, and Kurama couldn't help but chuckle to himself from behind his fan.  
  
"Good evening, Neji," Kurama said in a slightly woman-like voice.  
  
Neji looked to the voice, and was surprised to see a very beautiful young woman standing there, wearing an incredibly beautiful kimono with silver vines wrapping around it beautifully. He blinked, and wondered who this could be. "Excuse me, miss, but who might you be?" he asked politely, his cold visage in place.  
  
Kurama giggled. This was so amusing. "My name is Kira," he said, removing the fan from his face. He smiled beautifully and said, "But some know me as Kurama."  
  
Neji's eyes widened, and he stared at Kurama in absolute shock. He was unable to process a thought, and stared as Kurama stood beside him and wrapped his arms around Neji's left arm. "Kurama? Is that really you?" he finally asked.  
  
Kurama smiled and said, "Yep! But call me Kira, tonight, 'kay? We don't want people knowing that it's me."  
  
Neji nodded dumbly and allowed himself to be pulled away from Ichiraku by Kurama. He barely noticed all the jealous glares he was getting from the surrounding men.  
  
They walked down the streets together, until something caught Kurama's eye. It was a stand of candy, and there was a sign that said 'We can make a statue of hard candy of any shape for a price of 1500 yen' (that's almost $20 canadian). Kurama smiled, and pulled Neji towards the stand. "Excuse me, sir, I would like to have a statue made of hard candy," he said with a twinkle in his eyes.  
  
"What shape, miss?" the man asked with a smile.  
  
"Can you make it look like this?" Kurama turned around and showed the man his back, where the embroidery of the fox was. "Can you make me a fox that looks just like this?"  
  
The man stared at the beautiful embroidery, and made a quick sketch of the fox on a large pad of paper. Once he was done, he said, "Of course! Could you please give me your name and come by later to pick it up?"  
  
"Kira is my name. How long will it take, sir?" Kurama asked.  
  
"It should take no more than an hour. Thank you very much, but may I ask that you pay now? I would like to be assured that you will come and get it."  
  
Kurama paid the man and bowed, and then latched himself back onto Neji, who had stood and watched the whole exchange.  
  
"That is a beautiful kimono, Kira, where did you get it?" Neji asked, amazed by the intricate embroidery.  
  
Kurama smiled, "I bought the black kimono and silver obi, then I went and bought some silver thread and needles. It took me a week to do all the embroidery, that's why I was so tired every morning."  
  
Neji's eyes widened. "You embroidered that yourself?"  
  
Kurama smiled at Neji. "Yes, I did."  
  
They walked down the street, and Kurama eventually unlatched himself from Neji. They walked in companionable silence, enjoying the time they could spend together. Kurama led them to the small lake, and sat himself down by the edge of the water. Together, they looked up at the stars, enjoying the warm evening.  
  
Eventually, Kurama turned his attention to Neji, and stared at the boy's white eyes. Neji sensed someone watching him, and turned to look at Kurama. They stared into eachother's eyes, and Kurama began to lean forward. Their lips met in a sweet and gentle kiss, stealing their breath away. When they parted, they were blushing slightly, before they started kissing again.  
  
Neji reached over with his left arm to pull Kurama closer to him, deepening the kiss. The arm slipped upwards to the base of Kurama's neck. He licked Kurama's bottom lip, asking for entrance. It was granted, and Neji buried his tongue within Kurama's hot mouth.  
  
Kurama moaned into the kiss, enjoying every moment of it. He shuddered when Neji nibbled on his bottom lip slightly.  
  
The bushes rustled, and the two broke apart to face what approached...  
  
Nasty cliffhanger, ne? Mwahahahaha!


	13. Chapter Thirteen

**Kurama in Narutoland**  
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Chapter Thirteen:  
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The bushes rustled, and the two broke apart to face what approached.  
  
Sasuke of all people arrived, obviously looking for some peace. He blinked when he spotted Hyuuga Neji with a pretty young woman. Both were looking at him expectantly. "What?" he asked grouchily.  
  
Kurama looked to Neji, who glared at Sasuke with a passion. He snatched Neji's hand and gave it a slight squeeze before letting go again. Smiling at Sasuke, he nodded his head in welcome, then turned back to the lake.  
  
Neji glared at Sasuke for a few more seconds before looking at the lake with Kurama.  
  
Kurama sensed Sasuke walk off to their left, and saw him lay down on the grass not too far away from them. Turning to Neji, he saw him glaring at Sasuke. Kurama stood gracefully, and motioned for Neji to do so as well. He leaned over and whispered in the white-eyed boy's ear, "Let's go get my candy, then we'll enjoy some sake."  
  
Neji blinked at Kurama, but wasn't able to reply as Kurama pulled him away from the lake, leaving the grouchy Uchiha Sasuke to himself.  
  
They arrived at the candy store soon, and Kurama picked up his fox-shaped white candy. It was the size of a fist, but very well carved. He smiled brilliantly at the vendor and asked if he could wrap it up in a box. The man did so, and even tied it with a red ribbon.  
  
Kurama and Neji left the vendor to find a place where they could get some sake. They went to a small bar on the side of the road and Kurama ordered them some warm sake. The man on the other side of the stall looked uncertain, but a sensual wink from Kurama stopped any doubt that came to his mind. He served them the sake, nice and warm, and Kurama paid for it. They enjoyed the single bottle of sake, a comfortable silence encompassing them...  
  
That is, until a man with white hair and markings on his face entered the stall. He ordered three bottles of sake, not yet noticing that he had company.  
  
Kurama and Neji exchanged looks, and went back to sipping their sake.  
  
"Oh, now what do we have here? Hey old man! You aren't selling sake to underage children are you?"  
  
The vendor began to sweat, then leaned forward and whispered something in the white-haired man's ear. The white-haired man then turned and took a good look at his company... or rather, he took a good look at Kurama. "Excuse me, miss, I'm writing a book, and could you please help me?"  
  
Kurama turned to look at the man and said, "What's your name?"  
  
"Jiraiya."  
  
"What do you need my help with?"  
  
"Could you please undress and pose for me?"  
  
Kurama blinked. And then blinked again. Then his eyes narrowed coldly, and a dark and chilling aura filled the stall. He stood from his chair and walked up to the old man, Jiraiya. He back-handed the man with his left hand, making him fly out of the stall and sail through the air across the street, miraculously not hitting anyone in the process.  
  
Jiraiya's eyes became swirls as he recovered from the VERY hard hit.  
  
Kurama walked back to his place beside Neji and said in a deadly tone, surprising the boy, "We are leaving."  
  
Neji, not willing to argue, asked softly, "What about the rest of the sake?"  
  
Kurama took the bottle of sake and swallowed the still two thirds full container in one swig. Slamming the bottle back onto the table, and looking very NOT drunk considering how much alcohol he'd just consumed, Kurama exited the stand with narrowed eyes. Neji followed behind.  
  
Kurama approached Jiraiya, who people were still staring at. He picked the large man up by his shirt and growled, "Get a life and grow up you pathetic excuse of an adult." With that said, he dropped Jiraiya back onto the ground with a thump, and walked down the street with Neji beside him.  
  
They arrived at Kurama's house after fifteen minutes, and Kurama was considerably calmer. Kurama checked for Kakashi's aura, and found it not present, so he let Neji in. They entered the house one after the other, and Kurama motioned for Neji to sit in the living room while he changed.  
  
Kurama made his way to his room and closed the door with a soft click behind him. He sighed softly to himself and made his way to his desk. He pulled the clips out of his hair, and got out of his kimono. Grabbing his green pajamas, Kurama pulled them on. Folding the kimono, he put it along with the fan and sandals away in his dresser. Gathering up all his makeup and hair clips, he put them in a small bag and put them within the folds of the kimono.  
  
Exiting his room, Kurama made his way toward the living room. "Would you like some tea?" he asked.  
  
Neji looked up from his hands, which he'd been staring at, and said, "Yes, please."  
  
Kurama smiled and walked into the kitchen. Boiling some water, he proceeded to make tea. Once he was done, he gathered up a few cookies and put them on a small plate. He put all of this on a tray, along with the green tea and two cups. When he arrived in the living room, he poured the tea and gave a cup to Neji. They sat across from eachother, Kurama on a cushioned chair, and Neji on the couch.  
  
They sipped their tea, and ate a few cookies. Eventually, the just sat there, staring at eachother. They each didn't seem to mind, so that's what they did.  
  
Neji finally spoke up, "You still have makeup on your face."  
  
Kurama blinked, and brought a hand up to his lips. He remembered the lipstick and the other makeup, and then left the living room and went to the bathroom. Washing off all the makeup, he chastised himself for forgetting. The lipstick proved to be a pain to wash off, but it eventually came off with the rest of it. He went back to the living room, and sat beside Neji on the couch. Leaning over, he rested his head on the white- eyed boy's shoulder.  
  
"I'm tired," he complained softly, eyes half-lidded.  
  
Neji just nodded his head, a little uncomfortable with a very hot Kurama in such close proximity. He gulped when Kurama suddenly lay down across his lap. Neji blinked, and looked down at Kurama, whose head rested on his left thigh.  
  
Kurama sighed contently, very much enjoying their position. They stayed like that for a long time, until Kurama felt Kakashi's aura on the approach. Before Neji new it, Kurama was again sitting across from him, sipping a cup of tea.  
  
Kakashi arrived with a poof.  
  
Neji blinked, looking back and forth in-between Kurama and Kakashi.  
  
"Good evening, Kakashi. Where were you? Having fun I gather?" Kurama asked, still calmly sipping his tea with his eyes closed.  
  
"I was having fun, yes," Kakashi said, his single visible eye curved upwards in pleasure.  
  
"So, you WERE scopeing out all the woman!" Kurama said, mischievous grin on his face.  
  
"Yep! And I must say, Kurama, you really beat the shit out of Jiraiya," Kakashi said, a grin on his face.  
  
Kurama raised a cool eyebrow. "Beat the shit out of him? I only slapped him, hard, mind you. Do you actually KNOW that pervert?" he asked incredulously.  
  
"Yep! He's the infamous author of my Icha Icha Paradise books!"  
  
Kurama spit out his tea, all over the coffee table. "WHAT?" he asked, eyes wide.  
  
Kakashi nodded enthusiastically, before Kurama hit him over the head, muttering 'pervert'.  
  
Neji watched the whole 'exchange' with a half-smile on his face. These two were rather amusing.  
  
"So, Neji, are you spending the night?" Kakashi asked, a mischievous smile on his face.  
  
Kurama hit him over the head again. "Only if he's allowed to, perv," he said with a glare sent in Kakashi's direction.  
  
Neji smiled softly. "I can stay tonight, if that's not too much trouble," he said.  
  
Both Kurama and Kakashi stared at Neji, who was blushing slightly. They both blinked a few times before Kurama asked, "What about the Hyuuga main house?"  
  
Neji smirked and said, "Like I said, they've gotten used to me being unpredictable."  
  
Kurama nodded his head knowingly while Kakashi just blinked. And blinked some more. Until Kurama finally hit him up the side of the head and sent the pervert to his bedroom with his books.  
  
Smiling, Kurama walked over to Neji and took his hand. He pulled the confused white-eyed boy up, and led him to his room. They entered, and Kurama shut the door behind them, locking it. He proceeded to lead Neji to his futon, motioning for the boy to sit down.  
  
Smiling brightly, Kurama said, "So this will be like a sleepover! I hope you don't mind sleeping in the same bed, we don't have a guestroom. We're friends, after all, right?" Kurama winked, and went digging in his closet for some pajamas for Neji to wear. He grabbed his black silk ones, and handed them to Neji, who stared at them. Kurama raised an eyebrow and asked, "Well? Are you going to put them on or what?"  
  
Neji blinked, and looked up at Kurama, who was looking at him expectantly. He stood, shrugging, and started pulling off his clothes.  
  
Kurama turned around, giving Neji privacy. Listening to the sound of silk on skin, he swallowed nervously.  
  
"I'm done," Neji said in a soft voice.  
  
Kurama turned around, his breath catching in his throat when he saw Neji dressed all in black. It really made his white eyes and pale complexion stand out... He walked towards the nervous boy and reached behind him to unclasp his black hair. Kurama smiled, and ran his fingers through the silky strands.  
  
Neji's eyes half-closed in pleasure at the feeling. He felt Kurama settle him down on the futon, him lying in-between the redhead's legs, his head resting on Kurama's stomach. They lay like that for a long time, enjoying the silence, Kurama pulling his fingers through Neji's silky soft strands.  
  
Eventually, Neji fell asleep, and Kurama didn't wish to wake him, so he slowly slid out from beneath the boy. Next, he pulled the covers out form under the unconscious form, and pulled them over the both of them. Kurama fell asleep quickly, listening to the calm breathing of Neji.  
  
Mwhahaha! What will happen in the morning?! Read the next chapter of KiN to find out! (The KIN thing came from a loving reviewer! So no credit to me! [winks])


	14. Chapter Fourteen

**Kurama in Narutoland**  
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Chapter Fourteen:  
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Neji woke a little before sunrise, and blinked sleepily. Wait a minute, what was that wrapped around his legs? He sleepily looked behind him, and his eyes widened at what he saw. Kurama had, at some point during the night, wrapped his left arm around Neji's waist and pulled him closer. Their legs were entwined, and a bright red blush spread across Neji's features when he felt Kurama's breath on his ear. Gulping nervously, he tried to pull himself out of Kurama's hold, but was held tightly in place. Thinking quickly, he tried to figure out a way to get out of Kurama's arms... A smirk settled on Neji's features, and he suddenly flipped over so he was straddling Kurama.  
  
Kurama woke with a start, and opened his eyes to see Neji straddling him. He blinked cutely, surprised at the sudden change of positions.  
  
Leaning down, Neji kissed Kurama sweetly on the lips, and the redhead responded in kind. Slipping his knee in-between Kurama's legs, he applied a bit of pressure, and smirked when Kurama gasped. Neji took full advantage of Kurama's mouth, tasting the sweetness within. His head became heavy with lust, and he left Kurama's mouth to trail kisses down his neck.  
  
Kurama gasped softly when Neji sucked on his pulse. The white-eyed boy had an incredibly talented mouth... Then he sensed Kakashi coming in for the morning wakeup call. Moving quickly, he separated Neji from him and pretended to already be up.  
  
Kakashi came in with a bucket of water and found Kurama digging through his closet while Neji turned his attention to him. Kakashi blinked when Neji stared at him coolly with a calmly raised eyebrow. Looking down on his bucket of water, he felt rather foolish, and made a quick escape.  
  
The day progressed quickly, and Kurama and Neji pretended they didn't know eachother like any other day. They were told that the graduation tests were coming up soon, and that they should prepare for them. Kurama found no need to prepare, as did many other students in the class. However, the few bookworms that were in the class and the people who cared enough actually studied.  
  
The day of the tests came, and Kurama ignored what was going on the entire time. He didn't care how the other students did (although he watched when Neji did his tests). Soon he was up, and he recited the Ninja rules that they had to memorize. They had to do a kunai throwing test, and he performed it perfectly. Next, however, he had to create a bushin. Forming the proper hand seals, he easily performed a perfect copy of himself. Walking back to his desk, he ignored the rest of the exam and spaced out thinking about nothing.  
  
"FAIL!!" blasted through the room, almost causing Kurama to fall over. He righted himself quickly and looked at who had failed... the class dunce? Poor guy...  
  
At the end of the examination, all the hitai-ate were handed out, symbolizing that they were all adults. Kurama took a good look at his, and wondered where he was going to put it. He didn't want to put it over his forehead, really, so he fiddled with it. Some of the students in the class had done some crazy things with theirs, and Kurama simply decided to hang it around his neck and leave it there.  
  
At the end they all left, and were to come back to class the next day to find out who they had been sorted out to go with in a genin team.  
  
Kurama went home, and Kakashi insisted that they celebrate and go out for dinner. Kurama, of course, forced Kakashi to take them to a REAL restaurant instead of Ichiraku. With much complaint from the silver-haired jounin, they made their way to a nice little restaurant a few blocks away. Kurama ordered a pasta dish, and Kakashi ordered... you guessed it, ramen.  
  
"Kakashi, we're at a restaurant, and you order ramen?" Kurama asked, an eyebrow coolly raised.  
  
"Yep," Kakashi said, his eye curled up in a smile.  
  
Rolling his eyes, Kurama waited for their dishes to arrive while sipping on a glass of lemonade. Their food arrived quickly, and they ate in comfortable silence. At the end, Kakashi paid the bill and then dragged Kurama to the Hokage Monument.  
  
Kurama looked out over the village, a sense of peace resting upon him. Breathing in the fresh air, he relaxed with a small smile on his face. Kakashi sat down beside him, and silence reigned for a few moments. "Kakashi," Kurama began softly, "why bring me here?"  
  
"This is the monument of the past Hokage. I come here often to relax and enjoy the peace. I thought that it would be a good place to watch the sun set, what do you think?"  
  
Kurama smiled and sat down beside his perverted 'guardian'. "It is very peaceful... I like it here..." he said softly.  
  
They sat in comfortable silence for the rest of the evening, thinking of nothing and relaxing with the wind at their backs. The sun set spectacularly, with a large array of colours. Afterward, Kurama and Kakashi went home to sleep the night away.  
  
Kurama woke the next morning feeling well rested. Stretching his muscles, he got ready for the day. Sensing around for Neji's aura, he was surprised to find that it was on its way here already. Weird. Making his way to the kitchen, he threw a bowl of cereal together. Neji arrived while he was eating it, knocking at the door softly. Kakashi answered it, and wasn't surprised to see who was there.  
  
"Good morning," Neji said to Kurama, sitting down at the table with a plop.  
  
Kurama smiled back at him, "Morning. Why are you here so early?"  
  
"I wanted to get away. Who's team do you think you're going to be on?"  
  
Shrugging nonchalantly, Kurama said, "I dunno. Does it really matter? No amount of hoping might get us on the same team."  
  
Neji sighed softly, agreeing silently. "If we're destined to be on the same team, then we are."  
  
Kurama frowned slightly and said, "Destiny has nothing to do with it. If we're on the same team, we're on the same team. If we're not, we're not. People make their own lives, and there are some things in life that are out of our control. However, are also many things that ARE in our control."  
  
Frowning, Neji spoke bitterly, "My fate is out of my control."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
Neji sighed softly to himself, and muttered, "You wouldn't understand."  
  
Kurama spoke calmly, "There are many things in this world that I understand, and few that I do not, Hyuuga Neji. Why don't you let ME decide whether or not I understand what you are going through? I have been through many things throughout the years of my life... Things you cannot comprehend."  
  
Neji couldn't help but stare. "I do not wish to speak of it," he said coldly.  
  
Kurama shrugged, without a care in the world. "When you do want to talk about it, know that I am always here. Perhaps I can even help you."  
  
"You can't help me with this."  
  
"How do you know? You barely know me, Neji, I am a mystery to you. You know nothing of my past, of my abilities, of my feelings... And you say that I cannot help you? You don't KNOW if I can't help you or not, only I do," Kurama said calmly.  
  
Neji was silent, and refused to look Kurama in the eyes.  
  
"Like I said before, know that I am always here to talk if you are willing to speak. Now, what do you say we get going to the academy? We're both eager to see who will be on whose team." Kurama smiled, as if nothing had happened, and put his empty bowl in the sink. Making his way to the door, he let Neji out before him, and they left.  
  
Silence reigned as they walked down the street to the academy, both thinking about what had transpired.  
  
'Could he possibly know how to cure my Bird's Cage curse?' Neji thought to himself. 'No, there is no way that he could rid me of it...'  
  
'What is it that he is so reluctant to speak of? It's probably some sort of 'case' he might have... or a problem of his that he is angry about, or hates.' Kurama thought on the subject for the entire morning, wondering what may have happened to make Neji think that his destiny was already set in stone.  
  
"Alright class, quiet down!" Iruka shouted out over the excited giggling and conversation. "I'm going to announce who's teams you are on now!"  
  
The class became dead silent, and Iruka began listing off the teams.  
  
"Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura..."  
  
A boy with yellow hair hooped for joy while a girl with pink hair sat glumly in her seat.  
  
"Uchiha Sasuke."  
  
The pink haired girl yelled happily while the blond kid glared.  
  
Kurama blinked. Such strange kids... And since when had the class dunce graduated? What in the world?  
  
"Rock Lee, Hyuuga Neji..."  
  
Kurama waited with unease for the next name, hoping he was with Neji...  
  
"Minamino Kurama."  
  
A bright smile lit Kurama's face, and he inwardly rejoiced at his good luck. Looking over at Neji on his left, he inconspicuously winked at the white-eyed boy. Ignoring the rest of the groups, Kurama wondered what kind of sensei they would get to do team missions with.  
  
Kurama and Neji made their way to the assigned classroom that they would meet their sensei at. To their surprise, their sensei was already there, with the other boy on their team.  
  
"Hello, I'm Rock Lee," the strange doppleganger of their sensei said, striking a rather unusual pose.  
  
Kurama stared at the strangely round-eyed kid and his bowl-cut hair. "I am Minamino Kurama, it is a pleasure to meet you," he said, putting on his best smile.  
  
"Hyuuga Neji."  
  
"Aren't we conversational today," Kurama said, amusement in his voice.  
  
Neji merely glared at him, causing Kurama's eyes to shine with mirth.  
  
"I am Gai," their sensei said, a strange twinkle on his teeth as he gave the thumbs up sign. "Why don't you three tell us a bit about yourselves. Lee, why don't you start?"  
  
'Lee-san and Gai-sensei seem to be on familiar terms,' Kurama thought absently.  
  
"My name is Rock Lee! I'm a drop-out who specializes in taijutsu," Lee said enthusiastically.  
  
Kurama blinked, and Neji kept his cold look.  
  
"Um... Neji, why don't you go next?" Gai said.  
  
"Hyuuga Neji. My last name says it all," Neji said coldly.  
  
Kurama stared at Neji, then said absently, "Of course your last name says it all, excluding the fact that I know absolutely nothing about your clan."  
  
The other three in the room stared at Kurama in shock. Then Gai spoke up, "Hey wait, aren't you that kid that was found out in the forest about half a year ago by Kakashi? With no memory about where you came from and everything?"  
  
Kurama raised a cool eyebrow as the other two genin stared at him in curiosity. "I am that boy, yes. My name is Minamino Kurama. I live with Kakashi. I don't really specialize in anything. My abilities are a wide range. If anything, I'm not as strong in genjutsu as taijutsu and ninjutsu."  
  
"I see! Well, why don't we all go to our assigned training area? I have a test for all of you!" Gai said cheerfully, leading them all away.  
  
They arrived at the forested area quickly, and Gai explained the test.  
  
"I have hidden a scroll, and the three of you must find it. You have an hour. You must successfully keep it from me for the full hour, by any means necessary. Begin." With that said, Gai disappeared with a poof.  
  
The three genin turned to stare at eachother, wondering how to go about doing all of this. "Well, there is three of us, so why don't we work as a team?" Kurama suggested.  
  
"I can get the scroll on my own," Neji said coolly.  
  
"I bet you can, Neji. However, that is not the point of this exercise. The point is to keep the scroll away from Gai, so why don't we use all of us to make the job easier? Remember, he said 'the three of you must find it', and as far as I'm concerned, that is a pretty obvious clue that the three of us should work together. Pick apart is words and find the true meaning to them. What do you say? Shall we work as a team?"  
  
Lee nodded his head enthusiastically, and turned to look at Neji.  
  
Neji frowned, and then looked Kurama in the eye. His coldness disappeared, and he said calmly, "Very well, Kurama, what should we do? You are the more experienced of us three."  
  
Lee couldn't help but stare at Neji in shock at his voiced agreement that Kurama was the strongest.  
  
"Well, first we need to locate him. Lee-kun, you specialize in taijutsu, right? You know no ninjutsu or genjutsu?" When Lee shook his head, Kurama continued, "Neji, both you and I can find Gai. That will not be a problem. The problem is finding the scroll. Your eyes, can they find the scroll?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Good. I will locate Gai, in case there is any genjutsu of a bushin or something similar. You find the scroll. Lee-kun, I ask that you be a distraction while I extract the scroll from wherever it is, okay? Neji, you will be the one to keep the scroll from Gai. We will pass the scroll between the three of us until the hour is up. Who has a watch?"  
  
Lee showed Kurama his watch, indicating they had 50 minutes left.  
  
"Okay, from the top. I locate Gai. Neji finds the scroll, and tells me where it is. Lee-kun, you will pretend to go after the scroll, only to pull Gai's attention away from that area. When I think the best chance has come, I'll go for the scroll, and pass it off to Neji in the forest. He will then hide for a while, before locating one of us who is farthest away from Gai, and make his way over there discreetly. Neji will then pass it off to them. If it is passed to Lee-kun, I will be the one to take it from you, okay? Now, any questions?"  
  
Both Neji and Lee shook their heads in then negative, rather surprised at Kurama's strategic thinking.  
  
"Good. And, Neji, if Lee-kun fails in keeping Gai far enough away from the scroll, then I want you to send out a bushin to help. Do NOT reveal your position to Gai, for it is crucial that I am able to pass it to you in the forest. Keep as far away from Gai as possible. I will find you, so you don't need to worry about that," Kurama said calculatingly.  
  
"How are you able to find me?" Neji asked, rather intrigued.  
  
"I can sense auras."  
  
Both Neji and Lee blinked, and stared at Kurama.  
  
Kurama ignored them, and spread out his senses. He found Gai almost a kilometer away, in a small clearing. "Neji, Gai is kilometer away in front of you, slightly to your right. Please use your eyes to take a good look at his surrounding area. Note trees and bushes, or efficient areas of cover."  
  
Neji formed a few seals, saying, "Byakugan!" Veins popped out on the sides of his eyes, and he looked forward slightly to his right for a kilometer, and was surprised to find that Kurama had been right. He took a good long look at the area, and kneeled down on the ground. Using his finger, he sketched a drawing of the area, including distances and such. Soon, they had a small detailed little map of the area.  
  
Kurama kneeled and examined the map. "Which way is Gai facing at the moment?" he asked softly. Neji merely answered by drawing an arrow beside the stick figure Gai. "Where is the scroll?"  
  
Neji had to look again for the scroll, and was surprised to find that he couldn't see it. "I can't find it... not in the surrounding area or on his body. It's just... not there..."  
  
Kurama frowned in thought, then asked, "Is it beneath the ground?"  
  
Neji blinked, and then turned his attention to the ground. To his surprise, it was buried right beneath were Gai stood. "Right under Gai," he said softly.  
  
Kurama nodded his head, and marked it on the map. "We have a very effective team," he said, smiling at Lee and Neji. "Lee can be the one who does most of the fighting, while Neji and I take care of the genjutsu, ninjutsu, and all the technical stuff. Okay, Neji, I want you to follow me into the forest, and I'll tell you where to stop and wait, okay? Lee, you move in a straight line towards Gai, since you can't sense him. As long as you keep going straight, then you will be fine. If you go off course..." Kurama frowned, thinking of something that he could do... "Actually, I'll have a bushin lead the way for you. It will disappear once you are exactly twenty feet away from Gai. That way, you can get into a good ambushing position. I will be taking a round about route, to come out on the right. Any questions?"  
  
Neji seemed seriously in thought, before he asked, "What if Gai gets the scroll back? Then what do we do?"  
  
"If Gai gets the scroll back, then try to get it back from him at first. If it doesn't work after a little while, then go into the forest where I can find you and we'll form another plan. Ready?"  
  
The two nodded their heads, and Kurama formed seals with his hands. "Bushin no Jutsu," he muttered softly, and a copy of himself appeared. Motioning for Neji to follow him, the four of them ran off into the forest.  
  
Lee followed the Kurama bushin, amazed at how easily he moved amongst the foliage. 'Don't forget that this is only a bushin!' he told himself seriously. 'The real Kurama-kun is much more impressive, I bet!'  
  
Neji followed Kurama through the forest. After a short while, Kurama motioned for him to stay, and Neji jumped high up into the trees to hide. Kurama continued on, on his own. Once getting close to Gai, he swerved off to the right to come around him. Once in position, he waited for Lee to make his entrance. He waited for a few minutes, before Lee finally burst from the trees on the left side of the clearing, to jump at Gai. Kurama watched as the both of them used an incredibly alike form of taijutsu. Once they were a good enough distance away, Kurama used a small amount of chakra instead of youki to make the roots push the scroll above ground. He would have used youki, but if any of the jounin or ANBU here could sense the foreign energy, things would not be good for him.  
  
Once the scroll was above ground, Kurama sleekly slid in while Gai was not looking, to snag the scroll and jump back into the trees. Smirking when Gai remained oblivious, Kurama made his way to his rondevous point with Neji. Searching for his aura, he found it high in a tree. Throwing the scroll upward, he smirked when Neji caught it. He called out softly, "Move a little ways away from here and find a better hiding spot! We can't have Gai track you down!" When Neji nodded his head in conformation, Kurama ran off into the woods again, in Gai's direction. He planned on taking the jounin on and keeping him away from Neji as long as possible.  
  
Okay, now I know that Neji and them are actually a year older than Naruto and them, but in this fic, they're all the same age. Ciao!


	15. Chapter Fifteen

**Kurama in Narutoland**  
  
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Chapter Fifteen:  
  
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Kurama ran off into the woods again, in Gai's direction. He planned on taking the jounin on and keeping him away from Neji as long as possible.  
  
The sight he found was a confused/angry Gai, who was trying to find out how the scroll had gotten away from him. Lee was currently tied to a tree with a rather durable-looking rope. Kurama sighed softly to himself, and slipped behind the tree that Lee was tied to. Using a blade of grass, he cut Lee free, and slid back into the shadows of the forest.  
  
Lee charged at Gai again, keeping the man busy for a moment. Kurama waited for the best possible moment to help the green boy out. To his surprise, the chance didn't come for a while, until Gai was conveniently back to back with the bit of bush Kurama was hiding behind. Jumping out without a sound, he planted a firm kick in the middle of Gai's back, causing the jounin to fly across the clearing and tumble over the ground. Before Gai could recover, Kurama slipped back into the forest, where he was quite at home with the plant life.  
  
Getting up with a wince, Gai wondered who in the hell had hit him so goddamn hard in the back. Looking up, he only found Lee coming at him with a determined look. 'Could it have been Lee? Impossible, he isn't that physically strong! Who could it be?' he asked himself. Growing weary with the situation, he knocked Lee out with a well-placed chop to the back of the neck. Using his senses, he tried to locate another person in the area. To his annoyance, he couldn't sense anyone's chakra, except for one large chakra off in the distance. Where had the third gotten to? His question was answered when something suddenly kicked his feet out from beneath him. Quickly righting himself, Gai examined his surroundings. Where in the hell had that boy gotten to?! He came out with such speed and silence, that even GAI couldn't seem to detect him. It probably wasn't Neji, so it had to be the Kurama boy. What was the redhead capable of?  
  
Kurama smirked to himself, eyeing his 'prey'. Smiling deviously, he shot out from his spot when Gai turned his back to him again. Nailing the guy in the back of the kneecaps, Kurama made another quick escape. He had his sensei completely confused, irritated, and angry, just the way he wanted him. Forming the right hand seals, he performed Water Whirlwind no Jutsu without saying a thing. This, however, showed his prey where he was, although he had no chance to act on the sensed chakra before he was enveloped with Kurama's jutsu.  
  
Gai got thoroughly cut up by Kurama's jutsu, to the frustration of the jounin. Suddenly, the water disappeared, and Gai lost all sense of where Kurama was. Cursing under his breath, he tried to locate the boy. Coming up with nothing, he quickly formed a genjustu, and replaced his body with a clone. The real Gai hid in the forest, waiting for Kurama to appear.  
  
Frowning to himself, Kurama wondered how in the seven hells Gai could be right in front of him, yet his chakra was out in the forest. Glaring at the bushin, he ignored it, and made his way farther into the forest to hide himself. The real Gai searched the surrounding area for Kurama, but never found him. Kurama was incredibly smug with the fact that he was always a step ahead of Gai.  
  
'Where in the world is Kurama? Is he the one that has the scroll?' Gai thought to himself in annoyance as he tried to find any sort of tracks that would help him find Kurama. To his endless irritation, he found nothing. 'Where the hell is he?!'  
  
Gai's question was answered when someone kicked him in the back, AGAIN.  
  
Smirking, Kurama slid back into the shadows of the forest, rather enjoying their game. How much longer until the time was up? He didn't know. It couldn't be THAT much longer, though.  
  
Gai turned around swiftly after the kick, mentally wincing. This kid was KILLING his back! Finding no one behind him, Gai felt like yelling in frustration. How was this kid so skilled?! He was a mere genin! Forming hand seals, he performed a genjutsu, to make him disappear. To his shock, Kurama merely hit him again, as if there was no genjutsu there! Just when he was about to retaliate with a very powerful ninjutsu, his watch went off. (I'm assuming that although Gai is a taijutsu master, he can also perform genjutsu and ninjutsu). Checking it, it revealed that the hour was up. They had successfully kept him away from the scroll... Incredible teamwork...  
  
"So, time's up. Who has the scroll?" Gai asked the hidden Kurama.  
  
Kurama glided out of the forest in front of Gai, surprising him. A cocky smirk planted firmly on his face, he said, "Neji."  
  
Gai's eyes widened slightly. "NEJI?! HOW?"  
  
Kurama merely grinned. "Lee distracted you, I retrieved the scroll and passed it off to Neji. Neji remained hidden, and I kept up a distraction to keep you away from him. The mission was to keep the scroll from you after retrieving it, you never said that we all had to fight you."  
  
Nodding his head, Gai gave the thumbs up with a twinkle on his tooth, "Great job! PASS!"  
  
Kurama bowed slightly, before jumping off into the forest to get Neji.  
  
'Interesting kid. He has manners, strangely, and has incredible abilities. I can't wait to find out what all of them are!' Gai thought enthusiastically, making his way over to Lee to bring him back to consciousness.  
  
The three of them met where they had begun, and Neji gave the scroll back to Gai (with a smirk of course). They took a small break for lunch, and then Gai sent them home. Kurama, however, stayed behind to speak with Gai. "Gai-sensei?" he asked.  
  
"Yeah?" Gai asked, slightly surprised.  
  
"Was Lee-kun wearing weights? Because I heard a clank of metal..."  
  
"Yep! It was my idea, to increase his speed!" Gai struck a pose.  
  
Blinking, Kurama said, "Thank you Gai-sensei." With that said, he made his way home.  
  
No one was there when he arrived, and Kurama assumed that Kakashi had a mission or was out doing something (hopefully not perverted). Searching for his money, he quickly found it and went in search of the grocery money. Kurama was finally going to start cooking. Finding it on the top of the fridge, he made his way into town. Long since having bought many school uniforms, he went in search of something else that had been nagging at his mind for a while... weights. Without weights, Kurama knew that he would move too quickly for a genin, and that could cause a problem in the future. Using weights would also increase his speed, and that in the long run was quite worth it.  
  
Searching through the town, he wondered where a store could be that would sell weights... Stopping by a smithy, he entered and approached the smith at the counter. "Excuse me, sir, do you know of a place where I could purchase weights for training?"  
  
The smith smiled, his face worn with laugh lines. "Of course, son, what kind of weights are you looking for? Plates? Weights that go around the ankles and wrists?"  
  
"Preferably weights that can by wrapped around the wrists, ankles, shoulders, and waist," Kurama said politely.  
  
"Then I know the perfect place for you! Now, a little ways down this street there's a place called 'Kyosan's Metal Works'. He should have exactly what you're looking for, in a variety of weights," the smith said helpfully.  
  
Kurama smiled brightly and bowed politely. "Thank you very much. Have a good day!" he said as he walked out of the store. The smith waved goodbye with a smile.  
  
Making his way down the street, Kurama began the search of the store. To his surprise, it wasn't that far away, and he got there quickly. Walking into the store, he searched for 'Kyosan'. There was no one in the shop, but Kurama's acute ears picked up a conversation in the back of the shop. Waiting at the counter, Kurama examined the weights and other various metal objects that lined the walls.  
  
"Oh, how may I help you?" a young man with messy blond hair and green eyes asked with a pleasant smile.  
  
"Are you the owner?" Kurama asked with a smile.  
  
"Oh no, that's my father! He's busy at the moment, but could I help you?"  
  
"Yes, please. I was hoping you could help me find the right weights..."  
  
"I'm sorry! That's my dad's forte! If you could perhaps wait a moment for him to be done with another customer?" he asked with a sweatdrop.  
  
Kurama smiled, "Of course." He waited for around ten minutes before the man in the back was finally done, with a very pleased customer leaving with a bag in hand. Blinking, Kurama approached the man, who smiled in welcoming.  
  
"How may I help you?" the weathered man asked, gray hair flopping over one eye.  
  
"I'm looking for weights?" Kurama said.  
  
"Oh! Weights! This may take some time, but I'm sure you will be pleased with the results. Please come around back, and I'll fit you with them," the man said, motioning for Kurama to follow him.  
  
Kurama did so, and looked around the back of the shop to see a large assortment of weights in all shapes and sizes. His eyebrows raised in surprise at all the metal as he followed the man.  
  
"Okay, young man, what kid of weights are you looking for?"  
  
"Wrist, ankle, shoulder, and waist weights. Heavy ones."  
  
"Hm..." the man got a thoughtful look, then walked up to a rather heavy looking disc by the wall. "Can you pick this one up with one hand?" he asked.  
  
Kurama walked forward and grabbed the weight. It was rather light in his hand, and he frowned at it. "It's too light," he said immediately.  
  
"Too light?" the man asked, eyes wide.  
  
Kurama nodded his head, and put the weight down. Moving along the wall, he found one that was twice the size of the fist sized disc and picked it up. It was four times as heavy, and Kurama figured that it still wouldn't do. Moving on to the next one, he picked it up. It was hard for him to move his arm very fast with it, and Kurama smiled. "This one's weight is perfect," he said, looking at the man, whose eyes were quite wide at the moment.  
  
Suddenly, the man smiled. "It seems that fitting you is going to be a challenge, young man. Please come here, and take of that covering that you wear."  
  
Kurama took it off, folding it, and placed it on a clean worktable. The man came over to Kurama with a wrist weight, and clipped it on.  
  
"How is this? Is it heavy enough?" the man asked.  
  
"No, it's still too light," Kurama said with an apologetic smile.  
  
The man grinned, "You have some muscles, lad. I'll have to take it up a notch." Grabbing another one, the man made Kurama try it. It was still too light, and the man said with a frown that he had no heavier weights for wrist weights. "However, we could also do something else. We can line my heaviest wrist weights up your arm until its heavy enough. I'll also design them so they come off together, okay?" the man said enthusiastically.  
  
"That would be great," Kurama said with a smile.  
  
"I love a challenge..." the man mumbled to himself with pleasure. Kurama, of course, heard it with his acute ears.  
  
They lined a total of five weights all the way up to his elbow, to the man's surprise. "It would be best, at this point, if we used simple arm guards instead of weights. I will make all of these with my heaviest metals." The man pulled out a small note pad, and wrote 'arm guards-60'.  
  
"What sort of weighing measurement do you use?" Kurama asked curiously.  
  
"Oh, it's not really a measurement, just a number that I understand when it comes to weights and the like. Made it up myself. Now, let's move on to shin guards, since you will probably be able to lift quite a bit with those..."  
  
At the end, Kurama had an order placed for arm guards, shin guards, shoulder guards, and a strange weighted chest plate that had many flat cords that wrapped the back and front pieces together, giving it a lot of support to prevent back aches.  
  
"This will be perfect! It should be done in four days at most," the man, presumably 'Kyosan' said with a smile.  
  
"Thank you very much," Kurama said with a polite bow, surprising Kyosan. Grabbing his black cover with the red rose pattern in the back, Kurama slipped it on and tied it in place. With a smile, Kurama asked, "Should I pay now?"  
  
"That's up to you, lad. If you want to, you can, or you could just pay when you pick them up."  
  
"How much does it come to?"  
  
"Well, it's a very big order. It will cost..." Grabbing his pad of paper, he started doing the math of the purchase. "It will amount to 150 000 yen." (Around $99 Canadian)  
  
Kurama nodded his head, and looked in his wallet. Thank goodness, he just had enough. Paying Kyosan, he gave the man his name for the order and left the shop with a smile. Next, he had to go grocery shopping...  
  
Passing by a textile store on the way, he purchased two bags to carry the food from the market in. Next, he went to the market. He bought carrots, mushrooms, noodles, bacon, eggs, milk, bread, cheese, and other things.  
  
It was late in the evening when Kurama finally got home, and put all the groceries in the fridge. He found Kakashi sitting on the couch, reading (you guessed it) Icha Icha Paradise.  
  
"Would you make me some ramen?" Kakashi asked, not looking up from his book.  
  
Kurama glared at him, and said, "I just went shopping. There is no way we are going to have ramen tonight. I'm cooking some REAL food." With that said, he got to work.  
  
Taking out some eggs, ham, celery, and onions, Kurama began cutting up the vegetables and ham into small pieces. Pulling out a pan, he turned on the burner and put the pan on top. Taking four eggs, he expertly cracked them, and used a spatula to break the yolk and mix up the egg a bit. He put in a little bit of cheese to melt. Next, he threw the ham and vegetables on top, and started making an omelet. Once he was done, he split the omelet in two and put the separate pieces on plates. Putting the pan in the sink to clean later, Kurama served the food. The two of them ate in silence at the kitchen table, and Kurama was happy to finally eat some REAL food.  
  
It was around 10 when Kurama decided to finally go to bed, with a full stomach, and feeling good.  
  
The team met at their training area at 8 the next morning, ready for training. Gai started teaching Kurama the same style of taijutsu Lee knew, and Kurama had to keep his speed down carefully. Neji, on the other hand, went off on his own to practice his clan's taijutsu. They did this for the majority of the day, and then dispersed.  
  
Four days of training later, Kurama's weights were finally finished. He put them on at the store, and was surprised to find that they totaled around 1200 pounds! Shocked, he allowed Kyosan to show him how to put the weights on underneath his clothes. Once they were on, Kurama felt very heavy. He said this to Kyosan, who smiled at him and sent him on his way. Kurama spent the rest of the day training, trying to adjust to his far heavier limbs. He was exhausted at the end of the day, and collapsed into bed without supper.  
  
Of course, since he didn't eat supper, he was very hungry the next morning, and had a huge breakfast. Gai had informed them the day before that they were going on a mission, and all three genin were eager.  
  
Well, they were eager until they were told what the mission WAS. They had to find someone's lost dog. VERY exciting rank D mission, note the freakin sarcasm. Although it was the most boring mission, they completed it within an hour, and were allowed to either go home or train.  
  
All three of them chose to train, to the surprise of Gai. Kurama was having difficulties keeping speed and accuracy with his new weights, and had to ask Gai to help him with positions a few times.  
  
Neji continued doing what he always did.  
  
Lee was doing pushups and sit-ups, then running laps around Konoha. At some point, Kurama decided that he'd had enough physical training, and was running with Lee, trying to keep up. To his surprise, Lee was very fast, even with the weights he wore.  
  
"How heavy are your weights, Lee?" Kurama asked, sweating profusely.  
  
"About 300 pounds altogether," Lee said cheerfully, not breaking a sweat.  
  
Kurama couldn't help but grimace to himself. The laps were killing him, but it was also doing wonders for his stamina. He pushed himself until the sun started setting, then left Lee to continue laps.  
  
An exhausted sigh tore itself from Kurama's lips as he pulled off his weights in his room, as well as his clothes. Slipping into his pajamas, he fell asleep as soon as his head hit his pillow. Again without supper.  
  
Big breakfast the next morning, and more running throughout the day, as well as a few other exercises. They had a mission the next day, and Kurama WASN'T looking forward to it.  
  
Waking with the light of the sun shining in through his window, Kurama got out of bed with a groan. His muscles were K-I-L-L-I-N-G him! Moaning again, he went digging through the bathroom for a cream that would help with aches and pains. To his relief, he found a large and unused bottle of cream. Pulling off his pajamas, he started rubbing the cream into his sore muscles. It felt cool on his skin, and sent shivers down his spine.  
  
Once he was done he put his pajamas back on and took the cream with him to his room. Changing into his black Chinese uniform, he sighed in content at his not-so-sore-anymore muscles.  
  
Eating another large breakfast, Kurama prepared for the day. Today was another mission (and a waste of time, in Kurama's opinion, because he'd rather be training). When they got to their training area, Gai announced that they would be... WEEDING A GARDEN?!  
  
Kurama smiled. He'd be with plants for the entire morning! Neji, on the other hand, was far from ecstatic. Lee... well... Lee was just too 'I'm in love with Gai' for his own good...  
  
When the arrived at the old lady's house, Kurama stared at the garden in shock. There. Were. Weeds. EVERYWHERE!! "Is this supposed to be a garden?" he mumbled under his breath, Neji agreeing with him. "There's more weeds than plants..."  
  
"Alright! Here's a book that tells you what's a weed and what's not," Gai said, handing out a small booklet, a gleam to his teeth. (Bleach) "Now, have fun!" he said enthusiastically, disappearing with a poof.  
  
Kurama blinked, flipped through the book, and then tossed it over his shoulder. "You two stand back, NO ONE touches the garden but me," Kurama said, a smirk on his face as he rolled up his sleeves. Working turbo, he started expertly pulling out all the weeds, without consulting the 'manual' once.  
  
Neji and Lee stared at Kurama in shock, as did the little old lady. Since when had Kurama been into... flowers? Ew...  
  
Kurama was done in no time at all, and quickly retrieved a watering pot to perk up the plants. Within the time of half and hour, Kurama had turned the wild and ugly garden into a colourful masterpiece, to the shock of the old lady.  
  
"Incredible!" she exclaimed. "Young man, could I hire you to take care of my plants every day?" she asked with a smile.  
  
Kurama sweatdropped, and brushed off his dirty hands. "I'm sorry, ma'am, but I'm too busy to take care of a garden. If you ask for our team, though, for a mission, then I can." Kurama smiled beautifully, and washed his hands with a hose. "Well, let's get going," Kurama said, and lead his wide-eyed teammates away from the old lady's house.  
  
"I didn't know that you were so experienced with plants," Lee stated in awe.  
  
Kurama smiled absently, "Plants are my forte, actually. Why don't we train for the rest of the day?" he asked. "I'll race you, Lee."  
  
"And I'll win," Lee said, grinning.  
  
"Not for long," Kurama said in amusement.  
  
And so, another long and tiring day of training ensued...  
  
I'm gonna be gone for three weeks ppl! I'm at a music camp in Kamloops! Sorry if I don't update, though I'll try!


	16. Chapter Sixteen

**Kurama in Narutoland**  
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Chapter Sixteen:  
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"Today's assignment is..."  
  
Kurama and the others waited in anticipation of what they were told was going to be a harder mission.  
  
"... Washing Ms. Kinato's dog, Piko!"  
  
Anime fall. BOOM!  
  
"You have GOT to be kidding me..." Kurama muttered under his breath. (As you have noticed, there is very little Naruto action. Why? Because this centers on Kurama, and the rest of you know what's going on if you've read the manga. Just thought to clear that up.)  
  
"Washing Piko will be fun!" Lee exclaimed, striking a pose.  
  
"Why me?" Neji muttered to Kurama.  
  
Kurama gave him a half-lidded look. "Correction, why US?" They sighed in unison, and got on with the mission.  
  
When they arrived at the house of the old lady, they saw the cutest thing! Piko turned out to be a kawaii little puppy!  
  
"Aww..." Lee exclaimed, "Piko's so cute!"  
  
Kurama and Neji stared at Lee. "That was too girly for my liking," Kurama said absently. Neji merely nodded his agreement.  
  
Piko was indeed a very cute puppy... a very energetic puppy... a very energetic puppy that was next to impossible to keep in the tub.  
  
Piko ruffed happily, trying to lick Kurama's face as the boy washed him with soap. Neji was the one to hold him down, while Lee helped Kurama soap him. Poor Neji... When the puppy tried to jump out of the basin, Neji was pulled in headfirst.  
  
SPLASH!!  
  
EEEEEEEEK!  
  
Everything screeched to a stop.  
  
Even the puppy whimpered as a VERY PISSED OFF Neji emerged from the tub, a crown of suds upon his raven head.  
  
Lee started laughing his ass off, and got his head punched into the dirt. Kurama slowly inched away as Neji prepared to jump on the puppy. When he did, the puppy ran away, causing Kurama's eyes to widen.  
  
"Catch the dog, Neji!" Kurama yelled after him. He couldn't help but chuckle at how incredible funny the 'Great Hyuuga Neji' looked, chasing after a dog, suds all over his upper body. Finally catching the wild animal, Neji dragged it back to the tub.  
  
They finished washing it quickly, and escaped to their training area to train for the rest of the evening.  
  
They continued with a daily schedule of 'morning mission, evening training' for the rest of the week. A few of their missions consisted of: cutting a cat's claws (painful), gardening (again), and catching a pig that had gotten loose in the village (o.o').  
  
Finally, Gai told them they had a REAL C class mission, to the relief of the team. (Can any one tell me Neji's team number? PLZ!)  
  
"Okay, everyone. Our mission is interesting, because Kakashi's team got a C mission, and I wanted one for us! Kakashi is going to accompany and protect an old guy!" Gai said, striking a pose, teeth twinkling.  
  
Kurama smiled, and Lee jumped for joy. Neji... remained peculiarly expressionless. Kurama nudged him, and got a small smile from Neji for his efforts. What had happened to make him so... stoic? Maybe another 'family' issue...  
  
Gai continued to explain the mission, "We're going to go to stone country for a little student exchange!" (I'm assuming that Stone and Leaf have an alliance or peace treaty going on. Don't question the writer X-x)  
  
"A student exchange?" Kurama asked curiously.  
  
"Yes! We will go to Stone for a month and perform a few genin level missions for them. A team from Stone will be coming here to replace us and perform missions for the Leaf. It's like a trade, for a month! We also get to learn about their culture and customs, and it's a great way to keep peace between Leaf and Stone!" Gai said enthusiastically.  
  
Kurama nodded his head, planning on doing some research on his own about Stone.  
  
"We'll be going in three days, so get everything you'll need together. Changes of clothes, weapons, food, tents for on the road, you get the idea. Think of it as a long camping trip!" Gai said, striking a pose.  
  
Lee copied him.  
  
Kurama raised an eyebrow, and asked, "Three days including today? That's what we get to prepare?"  
  
"Yep!" Gai said, teeth twinkling.  
  
'I have the strangest sensei in the world...' Kurama though dismally to himself as he left their gathering area to make his way home and get his stuff together.  
  
He picked out a variety of Chinese outfits to wear, instead of just the usual black, which wasn't very good for camouflage except at night. He picked out two forest green outfits with white undershirts and green pants, two of his black outfits, and one dark blue one with intricate light blue designs on it and a light blue undershirt ad pants for 'occasions'.  
  
That's how Kakashi found him, packing away food and other necessities. "Where are you going?" he asked.  
  
Kurama looked up from his back and smiled, "Gai-sensei got us an exchange mission with Stone, and I'm packing for it."  
  
Kakashi's eye widened, "Your sensei is GAI?!"  
  
Kurama blinked. "Yes... he's been my sensei for a month now, Kakashi. Are you two rivals or something?"  
  
"Yes!" Kakashi exclaimed with a cute expression.  
  
Kurama laughed at Kakashi's childish antics, and continued to pack away things.  
  
"Oh, and Kurama?" Kakashi asked.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"I have a mission to accompany a man named Tazuna to a village in the Mist. I shouldn't be gone long, but if I'm not here when you get back, then that's where I am."  
  
Kurama nodded, and continued to pack. Running his hand through his hair, he checked out his supply of seeds. He had a lot of makai plants... and also a few rose seeds and a vine-like plant that was perfect for tying up enemies. He'd have to get a small piece of bamboo and some grass for this mission... "I'm going out for a bit, Kakashi. I'll be right back," Kurama said, rushing out of the house for a quick stock up.  
  
Kakashi blinked, and then read some more of the new volume of Icha Icha Paradise in the living room.  
  
Looking around town, Kurama collected seeds from vines growing on walls and a few flower seeds. Popping by the bathhouse, he collected a few twigs of bamboo and was on his way to look for good blades of grass. Seeing a very lush patch of wild grass, Kurama plucked a few good blades and placed them inconspicuously in his hair with the bamboo and other seeds. Running his hand through his hair on his way home, he went over his stocks. Happy with what he'd collected, Kurama went back into his room to continue packing.  
  
Once he was done, Kurama left his packed bag and small tent (that he borrowed from Kakashi) on his bed and got something to eat. Kakashi was no longer there, so Kurama didn't have to cook for more than one person...  
  
That is...  
  
Until Neji showed up.  
  
"Good evening, Neji," Kurama called from the kitchen as the raven-haired boy let himself in.  
  
"Good evening," Neji said, and sat down at the table.  
  
"Do you like poached eggs?" Kurama asked.  
  
Neji blinked. "Never heard of them..."  
  
Kurama blinked and asked incredulously, "Seriously?! Then you're just going to have to try them." With that said, he put a plate with an egg on a piece of toast in front of Neji. The raven-haired boy poked at it curiously, until Kurama got up from his seat to show Neji how it was done. He took the boy's knife and cut the egg up evenly on the toast, then cut it all up into small squares. "Enjoy," Kurama said cheerfully, going back to his own seat to finish his food.  
  
"It's good," Neji said, rather hungry.  
  
Kurama only smiled, and put his plate in the sink. "I'm glad you liked it," he said when Neji gave him his plate. Looking at the dishes in the sink, Kurama's nose scrunched. "I'm going to have to do the dishes before we go... Do you want to train?" He asked out of the blue.  
  
Neji blinked. "Why not? Do you want to spar?" he asked with a smirk.  
  
Kurama smirked right back. "Now that I know your abilities, I'm not gonna let you win."  
  
They left Kurama's house and jumped from roof to roof until they get to their training area. They found no one there, and got into fighting positions immediately. "Okay, Neji. Rules: no ninjutsu or genjutsu, only taijutsu! And Neji? None of that gentle fist, okay?"  
  
Neji nodded, and the two of them jumped at eachother, attacking with punches and kicks. Kurama grimaced when he moved top painfully slow. The weights were really holding him DOWN! However, even with the weights, he managed to land a punch on Neij's chest, sending the boy backwards.  
  
Neji skidded to a stop, a smirk on his face, and came at Kurama with all of his speed. Punching with strength, he smirked when he saw Kurama going to block with his forearms. To Neji's shock, his fists hit hard metal, and he pulled his fists back, staring at the bruises on his knuckles. "What the hell are you wearing under there?" he asked with a glare.  
  
Kurama smiled, and waved his index finger cutely. "Now that... is a secret!" (Copyright of Slayers Next [Xellos] for ppl who know what I'm talking about)  
  
Neji glared and attacked full force, sending Kurama back-wards into a tree. Wincing when the weight on his back dug into his spine, Kurama quickly righted himself and defended against the oncoming blows. Trying to speed up, Kurama went into the offensive, attacking Neji with as much strength as he could. To his utter annoyance, he couldn't land a single blow, and was quickly beaten by the superior Neji.  
  
'He's not going to beat me for long once I get used to these weights,' Kurama promised himself.  
  
"I win," Neji said with a triumphant smirk.  
  
Kurama merely glared, and sat up. "Yes, you win. Now I'm going to go for a run. I'll see you later, Neji, and thank you for the spar," Kurama said humbly with a smile as he left the training area to run laps around Konoha. He pushed himself until he had to literally drag his butt back home, to collapse into bed.  
  
"These weights are killing me..." he muttered right before he fell asleep.  
  
Kurama continued to train for the next two days, but instead of running around Konoha, he ran around the forest, jumping quickly from tree to tree. This proved to be harder than Kurama had previously thought. However, he improved immensely, considering he had only worn the weights for around four days.  
  
"Alright team, you ready to get going?!" Gai asked enthusiastically, striking a pose. Lee copied him (not surprising).  
  
"Yeah..." Kurama muttered under his breath, completely shot from yesterday's training. He had ran through the forest ALL DAY, at top speed! He was completely d-e-a-d to the world. You could practically SEE the squiggly lines coming off his head, though his eyes showed quite well how dead he really was.  
  
"What the hell happened to YOU?" Gai asked, worried about his student.  
  
"Training..." Kurama muttered, sleepily leaning on Neji for support.  
  
Neji was rather uncomfortable with Kurama leaning on him, but wouldn't let the redhead fall to the ground. Letting out a sigh and rolling his eyes, he wrapped his left arm around Kurama's waist to keep him upright.  
  
"Travelling is going to be slow with him like this..." Gai said thoughtfully. "How are we supposed to run through the forest if he can't walk?"  
  
"Run?" Kurama asked, perking up immediately. "More training!" he said drunkenly, giving the peace sign with X.x eyes.  
  
Neji shook his head, and grabbed a bucket of water out of no where and dumped it on Kurama.  
  
They waited for a reaction to take place, and were surprised when it did.  
  
Kurama was livid like a cat dunked in a pond. "I've spent my whole life in Konoha dodging Kakashi's morning wake-up calls EVERY MORNING, and now I get a bucket of water dumped on me WHEN HE'S NOT EVEN /AROUND/?!!" Kurama exclaimed, rather pissed off (but finally awake).  
  
"Let us continue on our jouney!" Gai exclaimed, 'heroically'.  
  
"Yes Gai-sensei!" Lee shouted.  
  
Kurama only rolled his eyes, soaking wet and still rather pissed.  
  
Neji was laughing silently to himself, amused to have drawn a reaction out of Kurama.  
  
They continued on their way out of Konoha's gates. What will happen to our heroes next?  
  
...  
  
...  
  
I dunno.

Btw, I'm still at camp.


	17. Chapter Seventeen

**Kurama in Narutoland**  
.

.  
Chapter Seventeen:  
.

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Kurama sighed. This was not his idea of fun. At the moment, he was washing his clothes. Why, you ask? Because they just had to 'accidentally' come across a swamp on the way to the border, and he had unfortunately 'tripped' and fallen in. Lucky him, his bag that had held all of his stuff (clothes, his pass for Stone, first aid kit, etc.) had been waterproof. Thank kami- sama.  
  
So, as you gather, this was not the best day of Kurama's life. They had decided to set up camp after the 'incident', so Kurama could get ready for the next day. It took him a whole hour to properly wash the swamp's muck out of his uniform. At the moment, he was wearing one of his green Chinese fighting outfits, for good camouflage.  
  
"Are you done now, Kurama?" Lee asked from his place at the fire when Kurama arrived back at camp.  
  
"Yes," Kurama said, gracefully sitting down next to Lee. Trying to start a conversation, Kurama said, "Where do you put your weights, Lee-kun?"  
  
Lee pointed to the spots on his body where the weights were, and said, "I'm hoping to get them heavier soon!" Lee gave the thumbs up sign.  
  
Coff.  
  
That was Neji, by the way.  
  
Kurama and Lee stared at the white-eyed boy, who had covered up a chuckle with a cough. Kurama, however, could tell what Neji had done, and smiled softly to himself. Then a thought struck him. "Where is Gai-sensei?" he asked, looking around for the green beast.  
  
"He went fishing," Neji monotonously answered. However, by Lee's surprised look, this had been unexpected.  
  
Kurama raised an eyebrow, and to the shock/horror of Lee, he retorted, "Care to give any specific details? I seriously doubt he's fishing."  
  
Neji merely shrugged, and stood from the campfire. The sun was setting, and Neji wanted to get some training in before he went to bed. He promptly vanished, running through the forest to find a good place to practice Kaiten.  
  
"Well, I shall follow Neji's example and train. When Gai-sensei comes back, tell him where we are, okay? I'm not sure about Neji, but I'll be back before its time to go to sleep." With that said, Kurama waved and disappeared as well.  
  
Jumping through the forest, Kurama tested his agility and control. To his utter annoyance, the weights were throwing his whole balance off, and he had to really concentrate to make his movements perfect. Setting up a small 'course' he continued to dash through the forest, throwing kunai and shuriken with deadly precision at the center of the targets. The targets were small thumbnail-sized carved circles, and the point was to get the tip of the kunai or shuriken in the middle. It was very hard, and Kurama missed the circle a few times throughout the course, the weight throwing him off and preventing him from working at his best.  
  
Not giving up and ditching the weights, Kurama continued to redo the course over and over until he had performed perfectly. Light was nonexistent at that point, although Kurama's eyes easily saw in the darkness. He made his way back to camp with ease after destroying his course and hiding all of the evidence of him being there.  
  
When he got back to camp, a rather angry 'Green Beast of Konoha' greeted him.  
  
"Kurama! Where have you been?! It's been dark for hours, and we thought you had gotten lost! The only thing that kept me from searching for you was Lee's words that you would be back before it was time to sleep!" Gai exclaimed, rather upset with Kurama's irresponsible behaviour.  
  
Kurama blinked, before lowering his head and politely bowing. "Forgive me for my ignorance, Gai-sensei," he said calmly, and then straightened to look into Gai's eyes with incredibly calm and mature green emeralds.  
  
This respect shocked Gai, and he promptly gaped at Kurama, as did Lee.  
  
"Using your manners again, Kurama?" Neji asked, a smirk firmly planted on his face.  
  
Kurama grinned at Neji, and plopped down to sit beside him. "At least I HAVE manners," he said playfully, poking Neji to the shock of Gai and Lee.  
  
"I have manners!" Neji argued with mock-incredulity.  
  
"Sure you do, sure you do. And Kakashi isn't the one of the biggest perverts in Konoha," Kurama said, laughing at his own joke. Soon everyone joined in. Gai because he knew of Kakashi's 'obsession', Lee because he was a very cheerful person by nature, and Neji because Kurama's laughter was contagious. Well... Neji only got to a chuckle, actually. Gai and Lee, however, were lighting up the whole forest with their laughter.  
  
Kurama sweatdropped when he noticed this.  
  
Soon it was time for bed, and they all went to sleep in their tents. Neji and Kurama shared one, while Gai and Lee shared.  
  
The next morning they had a quick breakfast and began to take down camp. After packing away their tents, they began to hide the evidence that they were there. Gai gave a few quick lessons on ways to hide certain things, and Kurama barely paid attention, because he probably knew more than Gai.  
  
Once their sensei was done with his lecture, they finished up the clearing, and Lee and Neji stared at it in surprise. It looked like nothing was there to show they had been there...  
  
Kurama, on the other hand, spotted something that could give everything away, and carefully and gracefully made his way across the small clearing to snag a long black hair. Probably Neij's. He lightly made his way back to his team, who were staring at him peculiarly. Handing Neji his hair, he turned to Gai sensei. "Are we ready to go?" he asked calmly.  
  
Gai blinked, before nodding his head and leading them into the forest. (Please do not blame me if Gai is slightly OOC, because I haven't really seen him that much in the manga yet). "Are you able to run today, Kurama?" Gai asked, looking back at his calm student.  
  
Kurama blinked, and looked from the surrounding forest to Gai. "Yes, I am able to run. I always am. Yesterday I was just a little... Let's just say I was 'out of it'."  
  
Gai nodded, before he started running at top speed. His surprised team began running, jumping from branch to branch to catch up with him.  
  
Kurama smiled to himself. This run was relaxing, although they were going very fast. The weights would begin to take their toll on him later in the day, if they went at this pace.  
  
Trees flew by for hours without pause. Neji was beginning to tire slightly, but Lee and Kurama were still going, though they were beginning to feel the weights.  
  
"Time for lunch!" Gai exclaimed enthusiastically, giving the thumbs up at his team. They had to screech to a stop so they wouldn't crash into him. Only one was successful, and the other two ended up sliding past Gai.  
  
Kurama stood right in front of guy, smiling slightly at his teammates' annoyance.  
  
"It seems we're going to have to work on our stops," Gai said thoughtfully.  
  
Neji didn't say anything, and Lee merely plopped himself down on the forest floor with a small and barely audible sigh.  
  
Kurama smiled at Lee, and said with amusement in his voice, "300 must be taking its toll on you, Lee-kun."  
  
Lee only smiled a bedazzling smile at him.  
  
Sweatdrop.  
  
"Time to eat!" Gai exclaimed, striking a pose.  
  
Sweatdrop.  
  
Gai dished out the food, and they ate in silence.  
  
That is...  
  
Until Gai spoke.  
  
"Why don't we all get to know one another?" he asked with a twinkling smile.  
  
His team stared at him.  
  
"Lee, you start, tell them a bit about yourself."  
  
Lee grinned, and started ranting on about his life and such. Kurama listened, but Neji just tuned him out. When he was done, he asked Kurama about himself.  
  
Kurama considered what he should tell Lee. Kakashi knew that he knew nothing about his past, and it would be best to keep it that way... "Well, I don't really know anything about my childhood. My guardian, Hatake Kakashi, found me out in the forest when I was eleven or so. I had no memories of where I came from, and I still don't know today. Anyway, he took me to the Hokage, and the Hokage dumped me on him," Kurama smiled slightly as he said this, "because Kakashi was the one who found me. And so, I began living with Kakashi. I was told about ninja, and wanted to become one. Kakashi taught me everything I needed to know, and I went to the academy. That's about all I really know." He smiled apologetically at his team, and began staring at the sky.  
  
Gai and Lee blinked. He knew NOTHING of his past?!  
  
Kurama should have known better at that point, but he was unsuspecting as he stared at the sky...  
  
"YOU POOR THING! NOT KNOWING YOUR PARENTS OR YOUR PAST!!" Gai exclaimed, tears streaming down his cheeks as he struck a pose.  
  
Lee was equally emotional, and had tears streaming down his face in rivers.  
  
Neji stared at his strange sensei with a raised eyebrow, and Kurama looked on in horror.  
  
"WE SHALL BE YOUR NEW FAMILY!!" Gai shouted, hugging Kurama tightly.  
  
Kurama gave Neji a pleading look, but the Hyuuga only smirked at him. This elicited a glare from Kurama as he endured the horror.  
  
Lee pitched in, "YES GAI-SENSEI! WE SHALL BE KURAMA'S NEW FAMILY!!"  
  
Kurama was just about to lose it, when he sensed something in the forest... He went ramrod stiff, causing Gai to look at him. "What's wrong?" Gai asked, no longer yelling.  
  
Kurama smiled, faking his cheerfulness. "Nothing is wrong, Gai-sensei, but could please let me go?"  
  
Gai blinked, and let Kurama go.  
  
Kurama immediately said that he would be right back and had to relieve himself. Gai nodded his head and sat back down on the ground, finishing up his lunch.  
  
Kurama eyed the surrounding trees, and spread out all of his fine-tuned senses. He smelt blood on the air, and felt the aura of something deadly out in the forest, yet he couldn't pinpoint it. Jumping up into a tree, Kurama pushed down the shudder of terror that was threatening to shoot up his spine. He wasn't scared in the slightest, but his body was responding strangely, as if sensing the predator near. 'It must be my human body,' Kurama thought with slight irritation, 'Whatever is out there causes terror in humans, but because I'm a demon, it doesn't affect my mentality, although it affects my body...'  
  
A twig snapped a little ways away, and Kurama smelt the blood becoming stronger. Using a bit of chakra, he asked the plants what the creature was. They were unable to respond, so scared at the feeling of this predator. Kurama nudged on of them to tell him what the creature was, sending reassurance to the plant. It slowly responded, sending him a mental picture of the monster. It was hideous, and looked like a blob of shadow, drinking the blood of its victim, a deer, up.  
  
The monster disgusted Kurama, and he guessed it was half a kilometer away. Rushing back to his team and sensei, he discovered that they had finally begun to sense the evil. Each had different reactions. Neji was cold and trying to hide his fear, Lee was terrified, looking around at his surroundings, and even Gai looked a little uncomfortable. Relief spread on their faces when he appeared. Each made the impression that they were about to speak, when Kurama brought his index finger to his lips, motioning for silence. He wore an extremely serious expression, and walked forward without a sound.  
  
Kurama grabbed his pack and motioned for the others to follow his example. Even Gai did as he was told for his attitude demanded that they do as he said. Once they were all ready to go, Kurama walked up to Gai and leaned up to his ear.  
  
"A monster travels these woods," Kurama whispered almost silently. "It is at the moment less than half a kilometer away. We need to make haste as quickly and quietly as possible."  
  
Gai nodded his head, and motioned for the team to follow him. They made their way in the direction Kurama motioned for them to go in, going off course to the right slightly, going in the opposite direction of the monster.  
  
Progress was slow, but they eventually made it a safe distance away. But as they relaxed, Kurama suddenly tensed, his eyes wide. It seemed that that monster had a sense of smell. It was coming in their direction at incredible speed. Eyes wide, he yelled, "RUN!"  
  
The startled group dashed through the forest, and Kurama created a perfect copy of himself to continue on with them. He, however, stayed behind to kill the monster, for he was the only one that wouldn't freeze in terror at the sight of it.  
  
It came silently at him, moving across the ground incredibly fast. It launched itself at Kurama, but he was prepared. Reaching into his hair, he pulled out a rose and transformed it into his 'rose whip'.  
  
Slicing at the monster, he split it into eleven pieces, and watched as the globs of its body plopped onto the ground. To his horror, the pieces merely glued themselves back together. How the hell was he supposed to kill this thing?!  
  
It shot at him again, but he jumped out of the way. It missed him by inches, and Kurama was becoming serious about this. It wouldn't be killed easily. Using his sharp eyes, he searched for something that might be a weakness. To his surprise, the thing landed on the ground again and turned blood red eyes to look at him. The look caused his body to freeze up, though his mind felt none of the terror, and he fought against his body to get it to respond.  
  
It refused.  
  
Kurama's eyes widened when the thing come at him again, prepared to kill him. It landed on him, and burned his skin. It spread over his body, encompassing him completely until he was completely covered with the burning substance. Then suddenly, the burning stopped, and Kurama wondered what was going to happen next. To his surprise, the monster didn't give away waves of terror any more, and it seemed to actually... like him? WHAT THE HELL?!  
  
Oxygen supply almost completely gone, Kurama collapsed, and the creature pulled itself off of him. To his surprise, the thing had turned white, and was rubbing against him in affection. What had caused the thing to suddenly change? Them Kurama sensed something... His youki was completely drained?! Turning his startled eyes to the 'monster', he discovered that it had sucked his youki supply dry... and because of this, it took a liking to him... strange...  
  
-Master.-  
  
Kurama blinked in surprise. Was that the 'monster' speaking just then?  
  
-Master.- It said again, rubbing affectionately up against Kurama.  
  
Not knowing what to do, Kurama spoke softly, "I'm your master?"  
  
-Yes. You are Master. What would Master like me look like?-  
  
"I get to chose your physical form?" he asked, confused.  
  
-Yes.-  
  
"Can you change into something else after I choose?" he asked curiously.  
  
-Yes. Me do anything Master wants. Anything.-  
  
"Can you become a small silver fox?" he asked, a small smile on his face.  
  
-What is fox?-  
  
Kurama smiled, and sent a mental image of a tiny fox the size of a kitten that had just grown enough fur to be recognized as a cat.  
  
It quickly changed into the tiny white fox, and climbed on to Kurama's chest. It was indeed small, and Kurama smiled at it softly. What was really strange, however, was that its eyes were a soft green, reflecting the colour of Kurama's chakra.  
  
-Does Master like?-  
  
"Yes, I like," Kurama said with a small chuckle. Trying to sit up, he hissed in pain. His skin was red with the beginnings of burns. His clothes and hair, however, remained strangely untouched.  
  
-Is Master hurt?-  
  
"Yes," Kurama winced out, cradling the small fox to his chest as he sat up.  
  
-Me heal Master.-  
  
Kurama blinked at this, and watched as the small fox licked his burns. They healed within seconds, to Kurama's shock, and he watched as the little fox licked ever square inch of his visible skins, where the burns were.  
  
-Master all better!- The little fox said happily.  
  
Kurama smiled beautifully at the silver fox, "Thank you. Now, what should I name you?" The fox merely stared at him as he thought up a fitting name. "Are you a boy or girl?" he wondered absently. Picking up the fox, he discovered that it was a boy (hits perverts over heads). "Hm... what should I name you... I know, I'll name you Shinrin, which means 'forest'. It is a fitting name, what do you think?"  
  
The fox nodded enthusiastically, and licked Kurama on the cheek.  
  
Smiling, Kurama stood from the ground, placing Shinrin on his right shoulder. "We're going to go meet up with my team now, they have probably discovered by now that I left them with a Bushin."  
  
-Yes Master.-  
  
"You don't need to call me 'Master', you know. You can call me Kurama..."  
  
-Yes Master.-  
  
Kurama sighed, and started running through the forest to catch up with his team. Shinrin hid in his hair, at the nape of his neck. He was small enough to fit their comfortably and not form a bulge in his hair.  
  
When he got to the clearing that his team had stopped at, he was surprised to find that his Bushin was still there... His surprise disappeared when he heard his team's voices.  
  
"Where is the real Kurama?!" Gai asked.  
  
The bushin only glared, keeping its mouth shut.  
  
Kurama smiled. It seemed that they had kept the bushin there to interrogate. "I am right here," he said, coming out of the forest with a grin on his face.  
  
Gai looked slightly surprised, but quickly hid it, and asked, "Where were you?!"  
  
Kurama blinked innocently. "Me? I was doing this and that..." he said mysteriously, and looked at his bushin. It disappeared, leaving a pile of leaves.  
  
Gai stood from the ground, looking incredibly serious. "I am responsible for all those in my care, do NOT run off again without my permission, is that understood?"  
  
Kurama blinked in surprise, "Yes."  
  
-He mean to Master.- Shinrin said, growling softly.  
  
/Quiet, Shinrin. Everything is alright./  
  
Shinrin froze, shocked that his master had communicated to him mind-to- mind.  
  
"I would like you all to meet a new friend of mine," Kurama said as his team stood. They watched him expectantly, with confused looks.  
  
/Shinrin, you can come out now. Give them a little show./ Kurama thought with amusement.  
  
-Yes Master.- Shinrin said cheerfully, climbing onto his shoulder and jumping from there onto Neji's head. He stared down into the surprised white eyes.  
  
-Master, this boy's eyes white!-  
  
/Byakugan. It is a bloodline ability, enabling him with eyesight completely encompassing him./  
  
-Oh. Me like white-eyed boy.-  
  
/So do I, Shinrin.../  
  
Next, Shinrin jumped onto Lee.  
  
"Meet Shinrin, my new pet," Kurama said with a bright smile.  
  
Lee stared at the white fox on his left shoulder. It stared back.  
  
...  
  
"We should get going," Gai said seriously, "We are behind schedule as it is. We'll have to travel at a faster speed to make up for lost time."  
  
Everyone nodded, and Shinrin jumped back onto Kurama, hiding in his hair again.  
  
-Master's hair smell nice.- Shinrin said, snuggling into the nape of Kurama's neck.  
  
Kurama merely smiled, and began running after his team as they hurried through the forest.  
  
They camped again that night in another small clearing, and Gai informed them that they would arrive at the border in a two-hour run from where they were. After that, they would meet a squad of ANBU a little ways into the land of stone, who would then take them to the Hidden Village of Stone.  
  
The night continued without event, and the next morning they passed into Stone country. The change of land didn't occur until an hour into the land, and stone started showing up everywhere. And I mean EVERYWHERE. White stone hills, forests of stone, very few trees, some more stone, a few little villages here and there, some more stone...  
  
Gai motioned for everyone to stop, and stood waiting expectantly at the top of a hill. To their surprise, four ANBU slid out from behind rocks here and there. Gai, however, wasn't surprised in the least, and nodded to who appeared to be the leader of the squad.  
  
"You are the team from Konoha?" the leader, a woman, asked.  
  
Gai nodded his head, serious for once. "Yes, we are."  
  
"Names?"  
  
"My name is Gai, my students are Rock Lee, Hyuuga Neji, and Minamino Kurama," Gai said, motioning to his students individually as he said their names.  
  
The ANBU nodded her head, and motioned for them to follow her. They did so, walking leisurely through the forests of stone. After a while of walking, she started running, and Gai followed along with his team.  
  
Kurama found it a little difficult to get a good grip on the smooth stones, and found that Neji and Lee were having similar difficulties. They traded looks, then sped up to keep up with their sensei. The other three ANBU disappeared again, one on each side and one in the back.  
  
When they arrived at the Hidden Village of Stone, they were shocked to see that the gate and walls were made of perfectly carved white stone, the symbol of Stone on the giant gate. They were lead to see the Tsuchikage by the ANBU, and the Tsuchikage they met surprised them...  
  
"Welcome to the Village of Stone..."  
  
**Someone _PLEASE_ tell me if Tsuchikage is right! Is that the right one? I can't remember! PLEASE LET ME KNOW!! T-T**

_Btw, I'm still at camp._


	18. Chapter Eighteen

**Kurama in Narutoland**  
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Chapter Eighteen:  
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"Welcome to the Village of Stone," a beautiful young woman said with a dazzling smile. (Heheh, didn't expect THAT didja?)  
  
Kurama examined the woman top to bottom. She had beautiful gray eyes and black hair with two chunks of bangs in the front died gray. Her body was lithe and strong, and was quite well endowed with luscious hips and curves. Pink lips curved into a smile as she stood from her 'throne'.  
  
"It is a pleasure to meet all of you," she said, eyeing them all. Her eyes paused for a while on Kurama, examining his beautiful face and body with appraising eyes.  
  
Gai bowed, as did his team, and said, "My name is Gai. These are my students, Rock Lee, Hyuuga Neji, and Minamino Kurama." He pointed to each in turn, and waited for her next response.  
  
"I see... A member of the Hyuuga family. It is interesting to see that they allowed one of their members into another country's territory," the Tsuchikage said with a smile. "I will have one of my ANBU show you to your living quarters. You will be treated as any other team during your stay, although the other teams will not disrespect you. You will complete missions for us that you may choose yourself, and all expenses will be taken care of. Do you have any questions?"  
  
Kurama raised his hand slightly, causing the Tsuchikage's eyes to turn towards him. "I do. What will happen if one of us were to die on a mission for you?"  
  
The question was asked so bluntly and calmly that all eyes turned towards the redhead.  
  
The Tsuchikage blinked, and eyed the matured youth before her. "If you die during a mission it was agreed between Hokage and myself that neither village would take responsibility for the death. If something were to happen to you, however, while you were not on a mission, then your lives are in the hands of my ANBU. Any other questions?"  
  
"What if your ANBU were powerless to stop something like that happening?" Kurama asked bluntly again. "Not that I doubt your village's shinobi, but you must understand that I have concerns."  
  
Tsuchikage stared at the boy before her. He was the perfect diplomat, not afraid to voice his opinion, but not offending the one he was trying to reason with in the first place. What an amazing child... "If our shinobi are powerless, then we take responsibility for what happens to you, and Hokage may ask for any price. The same goes the other way around."  
  
Kurama nodded his head, looking down slightly in thought.  
  
"Anything else?"  
  
"Will we be living in an actual house or an apartment?" Lee suddenly piped up.  
  
Tsuchikage grinned, winking at Lee. "You are to stay with our most powerful clan. They have a very large house, you could say, and it would be good if they lost some of their arrogance," she said with a cocky grin.  
  
Kurama sweatdropped. 'Interesting woman...'  
  
Something similar was crossing the other genin's minds at that moment. And Gai... he was grinning like an idiot.  
  
"ANBU squad 5, please take them to the Akachi clan's residence," Tsuchikage ordered, and watched as the four leaf shinobi were led away. 'I like that Minamino kid, he had a very sharp mind. I wish I was able to have a one-on- one talk with him, it would be quite refreshing...'  
  
Kurama frowned slightly to himself as they were led through the busy streets of the Stone. 'Why did the Tsuchikage do that to her most powerful clan? I don't understand... Wouldn't that create anger towards her on the clan's part? What does she expect the outcome to be...' Kurama mused to himself absently, and began to look around at the sights. From the looks of it, this was a very interesting village. Kurama mentally grinned when he saw a child play an ingenious prank on an old man walking down the street. It was amusing.  
  
Neji watched Kurama, curious about Kurama's earlier questions. Would this mission put their lives on the line? He planned on dragging Kurama away for a while so they could talk. He wasn't entirely looking forward to a whole clan being angry with them because of the Tsuchikage.  
  
Over all, the Hidden Stone really was a beautiful village. The pristine white walls gave it a clean and pure look, and the happy people added colour to the purity. It was truly a magnificent village, and everyone was happy. It reminded Kurama much of Leaf. The only thing missing, was the beautiful green trees. Sure, there were quite a few trees, some quite healthy looking, but none of them would ever match up to the Leaf's exotic green.  
  
If Kurama had asked his teammates if they thought the trees here were as green as the ones back home, they probably would have said yes. They didn't have the keen eye for plants like he did, and he could see tremendous differences in their growth.  
  
After the small tour through part of the village, they slowly made their way to the edges of the village, where there were less buildings and more untrained land. There they found a gigantic residence, with many twists and turns. Guards let them inside at the entrance, and Kurama examined the beautiful courtyard with delight. It was amazing! There was a long pathway to the front door of the 'palace', Kurama would call it, and it was lined with bushes of many types, all thrown together in a beautiful display of green. Kurama found himself drawn to all the green, but knew that he could tend to the flowers all he wanted later, to his excitement. He could wait!  
  
The ANBU went with them through the front door, and they all took off their shoes before stepping on to the traditional styled wooden flooring. It was beautiful... polished until you could see your reflection, and the most beautiful shade of rosy wood he had ever seen. The ANBU led them to a room, where the knocked against the wood of the paper sliding doors and waited for a response.  
  
"You may enter."  
  
The ANBU opened the sliding door and motioned the genins and jounin inside. They moved inside, and kneeled down upon the cushions that were provided opposite a very serious-looking man. He was in his early thirties, probably, with dark blue hair that was cut unevenly at his shoulders and dark gray eyes.  
  
"I take it you are the team from the Hidden Leaf?" the man asked with a monotonous and serious voice that said 'if you piss me off, you'll never live to regret it'.  
  
"Yes, we are," Gai said with a grin.  
  
The man nodded, and quickly got on to more important matters. "I will have my son show you to your individual rooms, which are in the same wing. Later, my father will tell you about the customs of this family and our village. Afterwards, you will go with my son and his team to choose a mission together, so they can help you get used to the town and area. Is there anything you'd like to ask?"  
  
Gai, Lee, and Neji all turned to look at Kurama, who blinked in confusion at the attention. Sighing softly, he asked, "What may we call you?"  
  
The man blinked, having forgotten all about introductions. "My name is Akachi Tore, and I am the head of this household. Should you run into any problems, come to me immediately. Kyo!" Akachi called, looking to his right, where another screen door was. (Btw, Akachi IS his last name)  
  
A handsome young man with black hair with red tips came into the room, with his hair cut unevenly like his father, thought it wasn't quite to the shoulders. Two pieces of black and undyed hair hung on each side of his face as bangs. He had a 'piss off' expression clearly on his face. "Yeah?" he asked, chewing on a toothpick.  
  
"Take our guests to their rooms and show them around the premises. Dismissed."  
  
With that said, they all left with small bows to Akachi, leaving the man to his business.  
  
"So Kyo-san," Lee started, trying to be friendly, "How old are you?"  
  
"S'none of yer fuckin' business," Kyo shot back.  
  
Neji glared, and Kurama frowned.  
  
"Who shoved a stick up YOUR ass?" Kurama asked with calm, half-lidded eyes.  
  
Kyo shot around to face Kurama in an instant, and an instant later, had him pinned to the ground. "Who th' fuck d' ya think ya are?" he asked coldly.  
  
Kurama sighed dramatically. "I don't know who I am, I lost my memory at a young age, and I can't remember anything about my parents or relatives or anything about where I used to live or any family whatsoever, really, and I don't even remember if I had a stuffed toy, did you when you were a child Kyo-chan, because it would be sad if you didn't I mean everyone has a toy they like when they're young and you need someone to keep the monsters away at night because parents don't do that for you or do they, cause I never knew because I can't remember my parents I don't even know where I came from-"  
  
"SHUT THE FUCK UP!!!" Kyo yelled, having finally lost it.  
  
Kurama grinned a foxy grin, and before Kyo knew what was going on, he was pinned face down on the ground, with no way to move.  
  
"ARGH!" Kyo yelled in frustration.  
  
Neji was smirking while Lee was laughing behind his hand. Kurama was on cloud nine, and the mischievous part of his personality was coming out. "There, there, Kyo-chan, you can't help that you feel this way. You probably didn't have a toy when you were a child, and that made you grumpy and hateful of other people because they had what you wanted tell me Kyo- chan why is everyone here so far in such a foul mood all of the time its like you were born with sticks up your asses tell me Kyo-chan does it hurt to have a stick up your ass? I personally would never want to know-"  
  
"SHUT THE FUCK UP YOU FUCKIN MORON!!"  
  
"Say please," Kurama said with a Kakashi grin.  
  
"SHUT THE FUCK UP!!"  
  
"You have to say please you naughty naughty boy. My my, where did you get such a filthy mouth?" Kurama said, on cloud nine.  
  
"Holy shit Kyo, are you spazzing on some unexpecting victim again?" a voice asked with a bit of humor.  
  
Kyo seemed to become even angrier, and shouted, "SHUT THE HELL UP KAJI!!"  
  
The white haired boy 'Kaji', who had green eyes, smirked coolly and responded with a simple, "You're a pathetic excuse for an Akachi."  
  
This seemed to hit a nerve, and Kurama was quick to retreat as Kyo punched Kaji, causing the cocky white-haired boy to fly through the wall and into what appeared to be a training yard.  
  
Kaji got up from the ground with a seriously pissed expression. "I'm gonna kick your ass for that one, loser."  
  
Kyo only got angrier, and charged at Kaji as if he was about to kill him.  
  
A blue-haired girl with brown eyes caught the thrown fist with ease, and hit Kyo with a deadly punch to the gut. "Stop your foolish behaviour, Kyo. You are only embarrassing your family and us, your teammates," she spoke harshly, a deadly edge in her voice.  
  
Kyo only glared at her from the ground, clutching his stomach in pain.  
  
The blue-haired girl turned her brown eyes to Kurama, and blushed slightly. 'Wow, he's HOTT!' Her hair was cut in a bowl-like shape that passed her ears, with evenly cut bangs in the front.  
  
Kurama raised a calm eyebrow when he could practically HEAR the blue-haired girl's thoughts. 'Not ANOTHER one,' he thought annoyed to himself.  
  
'Damnit! I can't think about boys right now! I promised dad I would only focus on my training! Get a hold of yourself, girl!' the blue-haired girl yelled furiously to herself, and schooled her expression to calmness. "So, you are the genin team from the Hidden Leaf? I'm glad you've finally arrived. Now we can do double team missions and actually get something with some action," she said with a grin.  
  
Kurama blinked. What the hell had happened to HER?  
  
"My name is Rock Lee!" Lee said with the thumbs up and tooth-twinkle.  
  
"Hyuuga Neji," Neji said simply.  
  
"Minamino Kurama," Kurama said calmly, looking at Kyo, who was on the ground and looking quite pissed off.  
  
"Look, Minamino, you piss me off again and you'll regret it!" Kyo yelled angrily at Kurama from the ground.  
  
Kurama stated monotonously, "You are so very threatening when you are on the ground."  
  
This caused Kyo's face to become red with rage. He shot at Kurama with more speed than Kurama thought he possessed and punched him right on the jaw. Kurama flew back before skidding to a stop with his feet. Raising a hand to his face, he felt his uninjured jaw, making sure there was no bruising.  
  
Kyo, on the other hand, wasn't so lucky. "WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU MADE OF, METAL?!! YOUR JAW IS HARDER THAN A FUCKIN STONE WALL!!"  
  
Kurama gave way to no emotion as both his and Kyo's team stared at him in curiosity. "Thank you for the compliment," Kurama said, thinking quickly, "I didn't know your fists were that weak."  
  
This only pissed Kyo off even more, and he jumped at Kurama again, only to be stopped by who Kurama assumed was their sensei.  
  
"Kyo, what the HELL are you doing NOW?!" the brown-haired brown-eyed man asked, his eyes serious and angered. His hair was pulled back in a small pony tail at the base of his neck (think Miroku from Inu Yasha ppl).  
  
Kyo glared at his sensei (who was still looking at him for an answer). "They started it," he mumbled with a glare shot at Kurama.  
  
"They did, did they?"  
  
"Incorrect. You were the one who was being an asshole in the first place, and such attitude gets what it deserves," Neji said coldly and calmly.  
  
Kurama grinned and walked back over to his teammates. Once at their side, he winked at Neji behind everyone's back, and the white-eyed boy responded with the smallest of half-smiles.  
  
"And you are?" Gai asked, standing tall.  
  
The brown-haired man turned his attention away from the boy in his grasp to Gai. "Ah... My name is Hato Midoki. These are my students, Atori Aya," he pointed to the blue-haired girl, "Byato Kaji, and I assume you have already met Akachi Kyo?"  
  
Gai nodded his head, and began formal introductions (again). "My name is Gai, these are my students, Rock Lee, Hyuuga Neji, and Minamino Kurama."  
  
Midoki stared at Neji. 'So, this is one of the 'Hyuuga', eh? I wonder what the boy can do... That Lee boy, I sense next to no chakra. He must be a taijutsu specialist. Kurama... He has an abnormally large amount of chakra, but I can't tell what he may be best at... Intriguing...'  
  
"It is nice to meet you," Midoki said with a nod of his head. "Kyo will finish leading you around, with us to accompany you, and then our team will show you around Stone," he said, dragging Kyo off by the wrist.  
  
"Damn Minamino," Kyo muttered too quietly for Midoki to hear. However, Kurama DID hear it, and it only caused him to smile.  
  
They were shown everything, from the spacious bathhouse to the gardens. Afterwards, they were shown their rooms, and they all dropped off their packs. Next, they were shown around the Village of Stone.  
  
Later that night found Kurama heading to the bathhouse. It had been a while since he'd had a proper bath. He needed to clean his weights as well, which were (strangely) taking on the scent of roses and sweat.  
  
-What Master doing?- Shinrin asked curiously as he was plucked out of Kurama's hair when they arrived at the baths.  
  
"I'm having a bath."  
  
-What bath?-  
  
"What's a bath? A bath can be two things, it can be when you clean yourself while in a bathtub, or a bathtub itself."  
  
-So Master giving birth to bathtub?-  
  
Kurama promptly sweatdropped, and then dropped Shinrin at his feet. "No I'm not giving birth to a bath you crazy fox," he said in amusement, peeling off his clothes. After doing so, he stared down on himself in boxers and his weights. Pulling them off one-by-one, Kurama grinned at how heavy they actually were. Putting them carefully down on the ground with the rest of his clothes, he pulled off his boxers. Rolling up the weights with his clothes, he placed the bundle by the wall. Walking over to a showerhead, he turned on the water and washed quickly, eager to sit in the huge hot pool and relax the day's worries away.  
  
Shinrin stood by the side, watching his master with a strange look.  
  
Kurama smiled behind a hand as he plopped down into the pool of water, a towel at the pool's edge. He relaxed for a while, sighing in pure bliss. "I haven't had a nice bath like this in ages," he muttered, eyes closed.  
  
-Why does Master have bath?-  
  
Kurama sighed in both irritation and amusement. "Because I'm dirty, Shinrin."  
  
-Oh.-  
  
Silence reigned, before Kurama got an idea. "Shinrin, come to the edge, would you?"  
  
-Yes Master.-  
  
Once Shinrin was right at the edge, Kurama snagged him and smiled innocently at the confused silver fox. "You smell. You need a bath," he said with a grin, and dunked the fox until only his head was peaking up over the water.  
  
-Master!- Shinrin whined, trying to get away.  
  
"Can you swim?" Kurama asked suddenly.  
  
-...-  
  
"I'll take that as a no. I'll just have to teach you then. Paddle your paws to stay above the water, I'll hold you up for now..." And Kurama continued to teach his pet how to swim. To the youko's surprise, the tiny silver fox never shed a bit of hair the entire time he was in the water, and caught on to how to swim quite quickly. Soon he was paddling around on his own, but not going far from Kurama.  
  
Kurama smiled. "But now, I'm going to have to teach you to swim in different forms... Shinrin, become a small water dragon," he said, picturing what he wanted Shinrin to turn into in his mind.  
  
Shinrin did so, and promptly sunk under the water. Kurama snagged the panicking creature, and held the snake-like dragon with small forearms and hindlegs in his hands. "Now, in this form, you should be able to float and skim across the top of the water. Try floating."  
  
Shinrin did, but couldn't seem to get it. After a while, Kurama suggested using the air in his lungs to keep him afloat, like some humans did on their backs. It finally worked, and Shinrin became accustomed to doing this. Kurama eventually got him skimming across the water, almost exactly like a snake. It was amusing to watch.  
  
Soon Kurama had to get out, and snagged Shinrin as he was passing by and put him down at his feet as he got out. Grabbing the towel, he dried off quickly, then wrapped it around his waist. Not having brought anything he could wear with him, he grabbed his bundle of clothes and asked Shinrin to turn back into a silver fox. Shinrin did so without Kurama having to give him a mental image, and they made a break for it down the halls to Kurama's room. They entered the sliding door with a sigh of relief from Kurama, who dumped his bundle of clothes on the ground. He picked out one of his black outfits to wear, and put it on.  
  
Looking down at the bundle, he sighed and got to work. He unwrapped the weights from the cloth and then grabbed a bucket and went to the well to fetch a pail of water. After getting it, he sat down in his room and started the painfully long process of slowly cleaning his weights.  
  
By the time he was done, it was quite late, and Lee popped by to tell him it was dinnertime. Picking up the sleeping Shinrin, he hid the fox at the nape of his neck beneath his crimson locks. Taking off his clothes, he quickly put his weights on, and then put his clothes back on over top. He made his way to the dinning room with a cheerful expression.  
  
Everyone was already there, and it seemed they had been waiting for him. He sat down at the empty chair beside Neji and turned his attention to the head of the family.  
  
Akachi began to eat, and soon everyone else did as well. The food was delicious, and Kurama saw a variety there that he hadn't seen in a long time. During the meal, Kurama spied Neji looking at him now and then.  
  
When everyone was done, Akachi stood, and so did everyone else. They all left to do as they wished for the rest of the evening.  
  
"Kurama, Lee, Neji!" Gai called down the hall before they walked away. "We're going to go and get our mission at 7:00 AM tomorrow morning. Meet me at the entrance at that time," he said, giving them the thumbs up.  
  
Kurama smiled, and continued on his way, inconspicuously tugging on Neji's shirt.  
  
Neji followed him a little ways behind, and entered Kurama's room after the redhead.  
  
"Why were you sending me looks throughout the meal, Neji?" Kurama asked curiously.  
  
Neji stared at Kurama, not saying a thing.  
  
Kurama frowned gently, and walked towards the white-eyed boy. "What's wrong?" he asked when he stood right in front of Neji.  
  
Neji responded by grabbing Kurama by the shoulders and kissing him harshly.  
  
Surprised by the sudden action, Kurama fell backwards onto the ground, Neji landing on top of him. Shinrin gave out an indignant squeak, and crawled out of Kurama's hair and ran off somewhere.  
  
Deepening the kiss, Neji forced himself into Kurama's hot mouth, tasting ever corner of him. Moaning into the kiss, Neji became aroused by the moans returned by Kurama. Placing his leg in-between Kurama's, he applied a little pressure and was rewarded with a loud moan from Kurama, which Neji swallowed with the kiss.  
  
They broke apart, Kurama's face flushed, Neji's a pleasant red tinge.  
  
"What brought this about?" Kurama asked, breath ragged.  
  
Neji nuzzled his face into Kurama's neck, nibbling gently on Kurama's pulse. His ministrations elicited a moan from Kurama. "I haven't touched you in so long..." Neji murmured, "I couldn't take it any more."  
  
Kurama's eyes became heavy as Neji nibbled, kissed, and licked his way down his neck. Stifling his moans, he bit his lip and arced up into Neji's touch.  
  
"Kurama! It's Lee! Let's go for a run!"  
  
Neji was off Kurama in an instant and disappeared. Kurama just sat on the ground gaping. He felt like snapping Lee's neck for the untimely interruption. Sighing to himself, he said, "Sure."  
  
Lee opened the sliding door and raised a confused eyebrow when seeing Kurama on the ground.  
  
Kurama stood quickly and mentally called for Shinrin.  
  
-I'm in forest, Master!-  
  
/I will be going for a run with Lee. Do you want to come?/  
  
-No, Shinrin wants to hunt.-  
  
Kurama's paled slightly, before he regained his composure. Lee and him were already outside. /No hunting. I will feed you later, okay?/ Kurama sent to Shinrin.  
  
-But why?!-  
  
/Because I said so. That's why./  
  
-Okay...-  
  
/Good boy. I'll get you something real nice later tonight./ Kurama sent cheerfully.  
  
-Yay!-  
  
Kurama and Lee ran together until very late at night, when they finally turned in. They had run through the forest, pushing themselves exceptionally hard. Lee waved goodbye, panting slightly, and Kurama smiled.  
  
Upon entering his room, Kurama was met with a surprising sight...  
  
Evil cliffhanger or what? Ciao! )evil grin(


	19. Chapter Nineteen

**Kurama in Narutoland**  
.

.  
Chapter Nineteen:  
.

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Upon entering his room, Kurama was met with a surprising sight...  
  
Kyo was sitting on his bed, and seemed to be waiting for him.  
  
Kurama blinked, and asked, "Is there something you want, Kyo-san?"  
  
Looking uneasy, Kyo fiddled with his fingers, looking down. Fighting with himself, he finally spoke, "Yes... I wanted to... apologize... for my rude behaviour this evening..."  
  
Surprised, Kurama stared at Kyo. "What brought about the sudden change in character?" he asked curiously.  
  
Kyo glared at Kurama slightly. "I thought about what I did, and I felt bad, okay?!" he shot back angrily. "Besides, we're going to have to work as a team, aren't we? So we might as well get along," he said huffily.  
  
Kurama suddenly smiled genuinely, shocking Kyo out of his attitude. "That was very insightful of you, and I'm glad that we shall be on better terms from now on," he said calmly.  
  
Kyo merely nodded his head, and left the room.  
  
Changing into his pajamas, but leaving the weights on as usual, Kurama prepared to go to bed. It had been a long day, and he was exhausted. Slipping under the covers of his bed, he fell into a peaceful slumber.  
  
The next morning Kurama awoke with the sunrise, even though he couldn't see it through any window. Looking at his wardrobe, he winced. His two green Chinese outfits with white shirts and green pants were filthy. Only one of his black outfits he could wear (and was wearing), and that left the blue one with intricate designs for special occasions. He had to do laundry.  
  
Sighing, he piled the dirty clothes by his bed, to remind him to wash them later. Checking the time, he discovered it to be almost 6:00. Sighing when he realized he had to wait an hour for them to get their mission, he decided to do some more running.  
  
Kurama did laps around Stone, and got to know a lot of their terrain because of it. Pushing himself really hard, he was determined to become faster than his teammates.  
  
Checking the time as he passed by a house that had an alarm clock in full view, he was surprised to find that he had five minutes to meet his team at the other side of the village. Sighing, he shot into a sprint, jumping from rooftop to rooftop straight through the middle of the city. He barely made it in time, and was slightly winded when he arrived at the Akachi's residence. He found Gai and his teammates along with Kyo's team and sensei waiting for him. Smiling he approached them calmly, taking slow breaths to calm his beating heart.  
  
"So you finally decide to show up," Neji said with a smirk.  
  
Kurama blinked before smirking back at Neji, "I'm not THAT late, am I? I had five minutes to get from the other side of the village, so don't say I was late for no reason."  
  
"The other side of the village in five minutes?" Kyo asked, eyes wide.  
  
Kurama smiled wearily, "Yeah. I bet Lee could have made it quicker, though."  
  
Lee blushed and put a hand behind his head, "No need to flatter me, Kurama- kun."  
  
Kurama only grinned and looked to their sensei, Gai.  
  
"Well, I'd say its time to get going. Midoki-san, lead the way," Gai said, giving the thumbs up and tooth twinkle.  
  
Kurama sweatdropped.  
  
"Of course," Midoki said, and started jumping rooftops.  
  
Kurama sighed when he realized they were going in the same direction he had just COME from. Shaking his head, he kept up with the slow pace easily, although he was slightly tired from his sprint. Midoki's team, however, didn't seem to have much stamina (aside from Kyo, who was just too stubborn for his own good) and were already panting slightly when they arrived.  
  
Neji and Kurama exchanged looks. Why were these students so low on stamina? Their sensei should make them run laps all the time, like Gai did.  
  
"We're here," Midoki said, standing in front of a rather large building.  
  
They entered silently, and were met with a bunch of chuunin and the Tsuchikage, who were giving out missions to other teams that morning. The Tsuchikage herself motioned for them to come forward, and the other stone teams stared in shock at the leaf genin that were in stone.  
  
Tsuchikage smirked at them, and picked up a list of missions. "You're lucky, because I would usually give you just D rank missions. You have a choice of C or B missions, since there's eight of you. You can refuse the mission when I explain it to you, if you want, and I will read another for you to choose from. Rank C or B?"  
  
Midoki responded immediately, "B."  
  
Tsuchikage nodded her head, and looked down at her list. "The first choice is to deliver a scroll to a lord in the Stone country. Do you accept or decline?"  
  
Midoki looked thoughtful. "We will decline."  
  
Tsuchikage nodded her head, and looked at the next on the list, "You can drive away a group of bandits that have been attacking a village, and that mission could be A rank if things come up."  
  
"We accept."  
  
Tsuchikage nodded her head and handed him a scroll. "This holds the details of the mission. You are to leave for that village immediately."  
  
Midoki nodded his head and motioned for the others to follow him out of the building.  
  
They ignored all the curious stares.  
  
Once they got outside, Midoki opened the scroll. He read over it then burned it with his chakra. "The details are: we are to go the Mizukai village and spend a few nights there. We await the arrival of the bandits and kill them or drive them off. We won't be fighting shinobi, and bandits are nothing to worry about. Let's go."  
  
Midoki stopped by the market to pick up some food, and then they left the Hidden Stone.  
  
Travel through the woods was unusual for Gai's team, for they weren't used to the rocky terrain and few trees. Fire country had much more greenery than this.  
  
Kurama hid a wince when he spotted a rather shriveled tree that seemed to get very little water.  
  
They walked for a while, before Midoki picked up the pace and went into a slow run. Gai's team kept up easily, yet after a while, Midoki's team started showing weariness. They stopped for a small bite to eat and a drink of water before they were on their way again.  
  
They arrived at the village near the end of the day. Mizukai village was placed right beside a beautiful little lake, and Kurama found himself surprised at the beauty and clarity of the water.  
  
After they arrived, they asked a few of the villagers where the head of the village was. They gave them directions, and soon they found themselves standing inside the cozy little house of an old man.  
  
"Ah, so you are the shinobi I sent for?" he asked in a hoarse and weary voice.  
  
Midoki stepped forward and bowed. "Yes, we are."  
  
The man frowned when he spotted Gai and the others. "I only sent for one team, why did I get two?"  
  
Midoki straightened and said politely, "That is confidential. However, if you were worried about us charging you for the extra team, don't."  
  
The old man nodded his head and began explaining what had happened to their village. "A month ago bandits attacked our village, yet we managed to drive them back with our samurai. They kept coming back, however, getting stronger with every attack. Soon they were kidnapping some of our women and children, and we could not protect our village any more. This is why we sent for you."  
  
Midoki nodded his head and asked, "When would you estimate their next attack?"  
  
The old man shook his head and said, "They attack every day. Those are small attacks, just to pick us off slowly. Around every week there will be a big attack that they try to take over our village with. The last big attack was 9 days ago, and we are due for another at any time."  
  
Midoki nodded his head again and left with a small bow. The others followed him out, and Gai contemplated their mission.  
  
'It shouldn't be too hard with two teams...' he mused to himself.  
  
"We will be staying at an inn tonight in the middle of the village. It is the best place to be so we can get to any side of the village the bandits are attacking as soon as possible," Midoki explained.  
  
Kyo, Aya, and Kaji were excited, to say the least. This would be the first time they ever got such a high ranking mission. They had been a team together for 2 years, and had taken a chuunin exam once in that time period. It would be fun...  
  
Kurama mentally sighed. More killing. Except this time, he was ALLOWED to kill humans, unlike with Koenma. Somehow he wasn't entirely pleased with the idea of killing something besides disgusting lesser demons.  
  
They checked in at a nice little hotel. Aya had a room to herself while Kyo, Kaji, and Midoki shared a room. Gai had a room with Lee, and that left Kurama and Neji together.  
  
Kurama lay down on the bed and relaxed for a moment. Afterwards, he sat against the head of his bed and went into a meditative state. Sending out his senses, he felt the strong auras of his fellow shinobi. Passing by them, he spread out farther, searching the entire village. He found no unusual activity, and went farther outwards, into the forest. It took a while of careful search to find the bandits, but he slowly did. And, they were moving. They were going to attack, it seemed, within a few minutes, at the northern part of the village. Snapping his eyes open, Kurama left the room to find Gai. He found the two jounin talking together, discussing the mission.  
  
Even though it was best that Kurama kept a low profile, he knew it would be an essential tool for his friends to know that he could sense things like this.  
  
"Gai-sensei," he called, to catch the man's attention. Both Jounin turned to look at him. "Bandits are approaching the northern part of the village, only half a kilometer away from the edge."  
  
Gai's eyes widened, as did Midoki's. "How do you know this, Kurama?" he asked.  
  
Kurama only smiled and said, "I can sense these things."  
  
"Indeed. If you can, do you know their number?" Midoki asked.  
  
Kurama blinked and frowned to himself. He had been careless and hadn't checked. Closing his eyes, he spread out his senses quicker than last time, knowing exactly where the bandits were. Doing a quick count, he discovered there were around 60 or so. "Sixty," he said calmly, and opened his eyes.  
  
Gai and Midoki nodded their heads. Midoki vanished in a puff of smoke to gather his students, and Gai ran out of the room, snagging Kurama on his way out. They easily found Neji and Lee and met back at Gai's room.  
  
Midoki was waiting there with his team. "We have bad news. The bandits are half a kilometer away from the northern edge of the village, and are approaching. If it weren't for Kurama, we wouldn't have gotten this alert. There are sixty bandits; that leaves almost 7 enemies each. We will be leaving immediately."  
  
With that said, they all rushed out of the inn at a quick speed towards the bandits. Neji was watching Kurama the whole time, wondering how the boy had managed to find out where they were attacking and how many.  
  
Upon arriving at the edge of the forest, both Gai and Midoki turned their attention to Kurama, who closed his eyes and quickly searched for the bandits. He found them slightly off to their left, and pointed with his finger. They were very close by, and it was crucial that they remain quiet.  
  
Midoki nodded his head and vanished for a moment. He returned quickly, and started to form a plan. "We will ambush them, picking them off with kunai and shuriken from the shadows. It should be easy."  
  
All six genin nodded their heads and started to make their way towards the bandits. They hid in the shadows, spread out slightly. Gai's team took the right side and Midoki's the left. Midoki gave the sign, and they all started throwing shuriken and kunai at the enemy. Half of the bandits went down easily, but the others had located the enemy and were charging in Gai's team's direction.  
  
Kurama's eyes narrowed, and he grabbed a kunai. He wouldn't let his team die. Moving quickly, he zipped though the enemy ranks. When he got to the other side, they all fell to the ground, throats slit. Kurama turned back around to see if he missed anyone and waited for the teams to come out.  
  
Everyone had shocked looks on their faces, and Kurama ignored them. "Mission accomplished," he muttered under his breath, staring at his bloody Kunai.  
  
"That was impressive work, Kurama," Midoki said with a grim smile. "You would make a decent assassin when you grow up, moving that fast."  
  
Kurama smiled wearily at Midoki before cleaning his kunai off on one of the dead body's shirts.  
  
"Well, our mission is accomplished. We'll tell the village leader and then leave," Midoki said. "First, however, retrieve your weapons. It would be pointless to waste kunai and shuriken."  
  
Lee paled slightly at the idea, but it seemed like Midoki's team was used to it.  
  
Kurama went about doing it without complaint, looking at the dead bodies like he saw such things daily. He retrieved his weapons from all the bandits he killed and cleaned them off in a nearby stream. The others followed suite. Kurama was done first, and went back to the clearing to find Gai and Midoki gone. Raising an eyebrow, he wondered where they could have gotten to.  
  
Eventually the others came back, and asked him where their sensei were. He shook his head and shrugged his shoulders. They waited for them to come back, and found themselves becoming disgusted of the stench of human blood and death.  
  
"Let's just leave already, this place it making me sick," Kaji said, standing up and brushing off his pants.  
  
Kaji's teammates followed suite, but Gai's didn't. The two of them turned to look at Kurama, who had at some point become their 'leader'.  
  
Kurama thought over it for a moment before spreading out his senses, eyes open. He immediately found Gai and Midoki at the edge of the clearing, spying on them. Smirking, Kurama said, "Where to you plan to go?"  
  
Kaji glared at him and said hotly, "Anywhere but here."  
  
"Oh? What would you do if one day you were trapped in a cave with dozens of dead bodies piled around you? If that was the only hiding place from the enemies, would you hide there? Or would it be too disgusting for you to handle?" Kurama asked.  
  
Aya spoke up, "I agree with Kaji, we should go. I hate the smell of blood. We'll probably find Midoki in the village." The three began to walk away, Kyo looking back once.  
  
"What do we do now?" Neji asked, turning his attention to Kurama.  
  
"Well, the first thing to do is..." Kurama paused before calling out, "I know you're there Gai-sensei, Midoki-san. You can come out now."

**READ THIS IF YOU WANT TO KNOW ABOUT THE NEXT UPDATE:**

_I'm updating now only for the reason that I'm gonna be on the road, and I thought you might like another update._

**Warning: I'm going to be gone for the entirety of August on a gigantic road trip. I might be able to get one more update in before I go. I do not know if I can update during the trip, highly unlikely. My laptop died on me, a connection is fried, so I can't type on the road any more. IT TOTALLY SUCKS!!**

N e way, sorry for the inconvenience, and you MIGHT not get another update until around Aug 10 ish if I'm really unlucky.


	20. Chapter Twenty

**Kurama in Narutoland**  
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.  
Chapter Twenty:  
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Gai and Midoki came out of the foliage with smirks on their faces. "So you found us out," Midoki said with a smirk. "Impressive."  
  
Kurama smirked back and stood from his sitting position. "What are we going to do now?" he asked curiously.  
  
"We're going back to Hidden Stone. Then we're going to complete a few more missions and acquaint you with the surroundings. After that you're on your own, and we will be getting back to more boring missions," Midoki explained nonchalantly.  
  
Nodding his head, Kurama asked, "What are we going to do about Kyo, Kaji, and Aya?"  
  
Midoki smirked, "I'm going to teach them a lesson..."  
  
With that said, Midoki disappeared in a poof of smoke.  
  
"Gai-sensei! When will we begin our training again?" Lee asked, smiling his million dollar smile.  
  
"Soon, Lee, soon!" was all Gai said, patting Lee on the head.  
  
Neji resisted the urge to roll his eyes.  
  
The genin team made their way through the forest after Kyo and his group, and rushed forward when they heard a scream of terror. They reached a small clearing and saw (to their amusement) that all three of them had passed out due to a genjutsu Midoki had most likely cast on them.  
  
Neji smirked at the site.  
  
Kurama only shook his head. "I DID warn them... In my own freakish little way..." he muttered to himself, smiling in amusement at the sight of Aya with a foaming mouth. 'Must have been pretty nasty...'  
  
After the three genin regained consciousness, the two teams stopped by the village to tell the head that they had completed the mission. They went 'home' after that, Kyo back-talking to Kaji the WHOLE way.  
  
"How was the mission?" Akachi asked when they arrived at the manor.  
  
Kurama sighed and rubbed his temples. Kyo's bickering was worse than KUWABARA'S and THAT was saying a LOT!  
  
"KAJI WAS BEING AN ASS THE WHOLE WAY BACK-"Kyo started before suddenly being punched in the stomach.  
  
Kurama had finally lost it. "Shut the hell up already!!" he yelled angrily, his eyes flashing gold to the shock of everyone who saw. "I am sick of your blabbering mouth!! Do you want me to stitch the accursed thing shut?" he asked dangerously, an evil little smirk on his face, gold lacing through his irises.  
  
Kyo held his stomach, extremely pale as he shook his head in the negative.  
  
"Good," Kurama said, before walking away, anger coming off him in waves.  
  
That was the first time Kurama had spazzed in a while, and DAMN it felt good. Sighing, he reprimanded himself. That was NOT a good way to handle the situation. He should have done better. Once arriving in his room, Kurama pulled out a seed of an herb from the makai. Growing it instantly, he plucked off the bud of the flower and sucked out the nectar. Afterwards, he ungrew the plant and put the seed back in his hair. His headache was disappearing instantly.  
  
Sighing in content, he lay back on his bed and prepared to sleep nice and long.  
  
When Kurama awoke next, the sun was setting, and he had yet to do any training that evening. Sighing, he dragged himself off his futon and stretched. His cat-like movements played shadows against the walls. After he was done, he made his way into the woods surrounding the compound.  
  
Moving quickly through the shadows, Kurama searched for a clearing he had found while on one of his runs a few days back. Finding it quickly, he started practicing the taijutsu that Gai had taught them. Closing his eyes, Kurama focused solely on his movements, forgetting the world around him. His body moved like liquid, finally getting used to the heavy weights Kurama had burdened it with. He failed to notice a set of watching eyes.  
  
The moon was high in the sky, and Kurama found himself laying on the ground staring at it. He was exhausted from his training, and had decided to rest after he had walked a bit to cool down. The stars twinkled out in space, and Kurama found his eyes closing slowly. They snapped open again when he heard a twig snap. Spreading out his senses, Kurama immediately detected a dangerous shinobi aura very close by. Pretending that nothing happened, Kurama sat up, rubbing a hand over his eyes. He stretched and walked in the direction of the Akachi's residence. The aura followed him the whole way, but Kurama pretended to be oblivious. He was a master thief and actor.  
  
Once arriving at the Akachi's, Kurama sensed the powerful aura settle down a little ways away to watch. Kurama went straight to his room and rested his body, though his mind stayed alert for any attacks. Luckily, no attacks came, and the sun rose within a few hours. The presence left swiftly before the rose, vanishing from Kurama's incredible range.  
  
Sighing softly, Kurama sat up and gathered his stuff together for a bath... then he remembered he had yet to do his laundry. Sighing, he quickly washed his clothes in the bathroom by hand. He set them to dry in his room along with his weights and brought only a towel with him to the baths. Kurama washed the mud and grit out of his hair and off his body beneath a shower. Feeling quite refreshed, he hopped into the warm bath to relax his muscles. After a short soak, he got back out and wrapped his towel around his waist again.  
  
Relaxed, Kurama made his way down the hall at a walk, instead of dashing like he did last time. That reminded him of Shinrin, and Kurama mentally hit himself for forgetting about the fox.  
  
-MASTER!!- Shinrin squealed when Kurama entered his room. -WHERE HAS MASTER BEEN??-  
  
Kurama sighed. "I'm sorry, Shinrin. I had to go on a mission. I'm sorry I didn't take you with me."  
  
-Mission?- Shinrin asked curiously.  
  
Kurama nodded his head and dried off. Afterwards, he put on his weights and pulled on his slightly damp clothes. Using his chakra, he dried his clothes and then snagged Shinrin off the ground. He put the fox on his shoulder, since it was too wet in his hair. Kurama brushed it quickly before leaving his room for breakfast.  
  
For once, he was the first to arrive, and smiled slightly. One of the servants walked by, and Kurama requested some food for his 'pet'. "Excuse me, miss. Do you have any fresh meat for my pet here? He hasn't eaten in a while..."  
  
The servant smiled and nodded her head. "I will be right back with some food," she said politely.  
  
Kurama smiled, "Thank you."  
  
The servant quickly returned with a small plate with a chunk of rabbit on it. "Thank you very much," Kurama said again, causing the servant to blush slightly.  
  
"Y-you're w-welcome," she stuttered out, and hurried from the room with a small bow.  
  
Kurama chuckled and watched as Shinrin dug into his meat. Akachi chose at that moment to come in, and saw the tiny silver fox for the first time.  
  
Blinking, Akachi asked, "What is a fox doing in the manor?"  
  
Kurama smiled and explained, "Shinrin is my pet. He hasn't eaten in a while."  
  
Akachi nodded his head and paid no further attention to the small animal.  
  
Soon everyone arrived, and Shinrin was hidden in Kurama's hair again.  
  
-Master smells pretty- Shinrin commented during the meal, causing Kurama to smile slightly.  
  
/Thank you./  
  
After eating breakfast, Gai pulled his team off to the side to tell them what they were going to do today.  
  
"First we are going to train in taijutsu. I want to see if you have improved. At 3 in the afternoon we are going to be led on a huge tour of the land surrounding Stone. It will be late when we return," Gai explained.  
  
The three genin nodded their heads and followed Gai to one of the many training areas on the land of Akachi.  
  
They practiced taijutsu the whole time (except for Neji, who was doing his own taijutsu), and Gai gave them pointers now and then.  
  
"You've improved a lot, Kurama," Gai said, rather surprised. Kurama's control had been getting better and better by leaps and bounds. His grasp of taijutsu was excellent, and almost up to Lee's level. If he kept on improving like this, then he would soon surpass Lee in skill, if not in speed. However, Gai had no idea that Kurama was wearing such heavy weights... and without them, could easily surpass Lee in both skill and speed.  
  
'I haven't practiced any martial arts in a while, only Gai's taijutsu. I should practice it again to make sure I have not lost my touch,' Kurama thought absently to himself.  
  
They trained like that for the rest of the day, and Gai taught them a new move that was rather hard to execute. To his surprise, Kurama was the one who was able to do it on the first try, although he wasn't fast enough for the move to be at its full potential.  
  
Gai was quite impressed by his students. Even Neji was improving (Gai spied on him to see how he was doing now and then).  
  
Soon it was 3, and Midoki and his team arrived to show them around the area. They were shown through the whole village again, and then the tour expanded to the outer reaches of forest. Soon they were being shown around the land outside the hidden village.  
  
It was late at night when they finally got back, and all of them promptly collapsed on their futons. They had been running a lot to cover all the land they needed to know in one day. Midoki's students had long since gone home in the middle of the run, unable to keep up. THIS finally convinced Midoki that he needed to up his student's stamina and speed.  
  
-Master is tired. Master should get some sleep- Shinrin said as Kurama changed into his pajamas.  
  
"I agree with you entirely," Kurama muttered under his breath and fell asleep instantly, Shinrin curled up beside him.  
  
The days passed by rather uneventfully with boring D-rank missions and constant training. Although the Leaf genin team still stayed with the Akachis, they were completing their own missions for the Tsuchikage.  
  
"Gai-sensei! What should I wear?!" exclaimed a traumatic Lee.  
  
"We shall buy you a yukata!" (I think that's what they're called. Those outfits men wear in the feudal ages? [mumbles])  
  
"YES GAI-SENSEI!" Lee yelled, both him and Gai hugging like idiots, tears streaming down their faces.  
  
Kurama and Neji only watched this exchange with identical sweatdrops sliding down the backs of their heads. Shaking his head, Kurama dragged Neji off.  
  
"Where are we going?" Neji asked as they walked down the village streets, Kurama obviously looking for something.  
  
"We're going to buy you a yukata for tonight's festival," Kurama said, smiling slyly.  
  
Neji stopped walking immediately and made to turn around and run in the opposite direction.  
  
Kurama, however, snagged his shirt. "You ARE coming with me to the festival, Neji-chan, and there's NOTHING you can do about it."  
  
Neji paled (if possible, his skin's so white) as he was dragged down the street. Glaring at Kurama, he started walking on his own to spare his honor. (coughegocough)  
  
"Ah, this shall do nicely," Kurama commented as they stopped by a shop with a rather nice display of yukata.  
  
Resisting the urge to roll his eyes, Neji followed Kurama into the store.  
  
Kurama walked along the rows of clothing, looking for something nice, but not extravagant. Finding a black yukata with white flames licking the bottoms of the sleeves and at the ankles, Kurama smiled. 'This'll look nice on him,' he thought devilishly to himself. 'The ladies will be after him all night... if he doesn't scare them off that is...' Kurama sweatdropped at that thought. 'He's hopeless. Oh well, its not like I WANT women going after MY Neji...' Kurama grinned again to himself.  
  
"Neji! This is the one," Kurama called to Neji, who was sulking by the door.  
  
Neji looked at it and was pleasantly surprised that it actually looked 'good'. 'I should get Kurama to pick clothes out for me more often. He has good taste...' Neji took the yukata from Kurama and paid for it. They left afterwards to head back 'home' and train some more.  
  
It was late at night when the festival started, and Kurama and Neji had quick baths and got ready. Kurama dressed in his Chinese blue outfit that had a nice design on it. It was fancy and delicate-looking; perfect for that night.  
  
Lee had dressed up in a green yukata with a black diamond pattern here and there on it. He looked rather nice, to the surprise of Kurama, although those creepy eyes and big eyebrows still steered off the consideration of rational women.  
  
"Where will we go first?" Neji asked, ignoring the looks that women sent their way.  
  
Kurama looked thoughtful for a moment before saying, "Why don't we get something to eat first? Then we can go do some games."  
  
Nodding his head, Neji followed Kurama to a nice looking sushi restaurant.  
  
Kurama ordered a large plate with a little of everything for the both of them, and they talked while waiting for their order to arrive. It took a while, but it eventually did, and the two of them were pleasantly surprised at the wonderful taste of their food.  
  
When done, they each paid half of the bill (both were too stubborn to let one of them pay the whole thing) and went in search of some fun activities to do.  
  
Kurama spotted a game that you had to throw balls at a stack of bottles and knock them all over. When you did, you got a prize.  
  
"Mommy! I want that big teddy bear!" a little boy said, pointing at a large bear almost as tall as him.  
  
A woman (presumably his mother) smiled gently and said, "I'm sorry sweety, but daddy isn't here tonight to get it for you, and mommy's aim isn't very good. I'll get you something else, okay sweety?"  
  
The child looked crestfallen. "Okay mommy..."  
  
Kurama looked thoughtful, before disappearing from Neji's side and slipping through the crowd to the booth. "How much to play this game, sir?" Kurama asked, catching the attention of the mother and her child.  
  
The man behind the booth grinned and said, "It's 300 yen. You get three balls to try with."  
  
Kurama paid immediately and examined the distance and weight of the balls he carried. To his surprise and annoyance, he found that the balls had uneven weight, and that one side of them would be heavier than the other, therefore making the ball curve. Frowning, he quickly calculated the force he would have to throw and where he would have to aim. Once done, he picked up the first ball and threw it with perfect aim to the left of the first stack of bottles. He hit a base bottle, causing the pyramid to collapse.  
  
The man behind the counter was surprised, and watched with wide eyes as his customer knocked down the three pyramids of bottles with the defective balls that prevented anyone from winning.  
  
Grinning, Kurama said, "For my prize, I would like that big brown teddy bear, please."  
  
The man glared at Kurama and pulled the bear down from its hanger. "Here," he mumbled, shoving the bear at Kurama.  
  
Kurama only smiled and knelt down beside the little boy. "You wanted this?" he asked with a genuine smile at the happy child.  
  
"Thank you so much onii-san!" the boy said cutely, hugging the bear to him.  
  
The boy's mother smiled at Kurama and mouthed at 'thank you' to Kurama.  
  
"Kurama! Where have you been?" Neji asked, appearing beside them all of a sudden. He stared with cool white eyes at the woman and child, who were slightly freaked out.  
  
"Ah Neji, no reason to be worried about me," Kurama said, nudging Neji in the ribs.  
  
The white-eyed boy only glared at him and dragged him off.  
  
Kurama turned back to the stunned woman and her happy child. He sent a wink at them over his shoulder and a smile, before disappearing into the crowd.  
  
"That was fun," Kurama said smiling. "Did you know that that man behind the counter had actually changed the weight of the balls so that they spun out of control? Rather masterfully done, I might say, because only a very keen eye could have picked it up."  
  
Neji raised an eyebrow. "And you still managed to knock down all the bottles?" he asked, surprised.  
  
"Of course, what shinobi couldn't?" Kurama asked with a smile.  
  
"Only a genius or someone incredibly good at math could have pulled that off, Kurama," Neji said, eyeing the redhead beside him. "I'd say you fall into both categories. What ELSE can you do?" he asked curiously.  
  
Kurama only smiled mysteriously and said, "Many, many things..."

**TYPO ERROR:**

_Gomen ne, everybody! I said Aug 10ish in my last chapter, and that is incorrect. I meant **SEPT** 10**ish**, don't kill me! [runs away from rabid fans]_

**At the moment I am in Vancouver, and will be flying home soon, and so in a little while I will be completely cut off from computers. At the moment, as you can see, I am able to update. I will update once more before I leave and tell you that no more updates will be coming until after school starts again. When that update comes, I'm very sorry. I will try to update as much as possible right now before I go on my road trip. GOMEN NASAI!**

I love you all!

_Toki Mirage_


	21. Chapter TwentyOne

**Kurama in Narutoland**  
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Chapter Twenty-One:  
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"Many, many things..." Kurama said, trailing off mysteriously.  
  
Neji finally gave into the urge and rolled his eyes. "Sure."  
  
Kurama grinned and dragged an annoyed and reluctant Neji off to the next game. They found a fun looking one rather quickly, in Kurama's opinion. It was the type of game that required speed and reaction time to win. Neji was the first to try it out.  
  
"Okay, kid. What you need to do is this: I'll drop the ball into the spinning wheel. What you're aiming for is a number in the range of 1-10. The wheel will stop the ball as soon as you press the button. If you get a number in between 1 and 10, then you get a prize. If not, then you get nothing. Ready?" the man asked, holding up a ball over a horizontal spinning wheel.  
  
Neji nodded his head. Numbers from 1 to 100 were painted randomly on the wheel. It was spinning so fast that they were hard to read. However, since he was a trained shinobi, it was easy to read the numbers as if they were moving in slow motion. Smirking he watched the ball rolling around on the wheel. When it landed on '3' he hit the button with his incredible reflexes. Instantly, little nails shot upwards to hold the ball in place. The wheel stopped spinning and it was revealed that Neji had one.  
  
"Great job, kid. Not many people managed to do that on the first try before. Here's your prize," the man said, handing Neji what looked like a chibi version of Tsuchikage.  
  
Kurama couldn't help but snicker at how 'well-endowed' the chibi was. It was kind of cute.  
  
Neji scowled and gave the chibi to Kurama, who accepted it and looked around for a kid to give it to. He found a young little girl staring at the prizes in the booth and, with his incredibly thieving skills, snuck the chibi into her small obi.  
  
The two of them walked away, listening to the happy squeals of the young girl, whose mother had discovered it. Kurama had a pleasant smile on his face, and Neji was smiling softly as well.  
  
'He truly is a kind person,' Neji thought to himself, smiling.  
  
They played a few more random games, each time giving the prize to a child who was looking up at prizes with hopeful eyes. Near midnight, Kurama and Neji snuck away to find a nice spot to watch the fireworks. They found a tall building with a nice view of the sky, and settled down on the roof.  
  
The first flash of colour went up with a whistle-like sound, and exploded into red, orange, and yellow. It was amazing to watch, and both Kurama and Neji found themselves staring in awe.  
  
"I've never really watched fireworks since my father died," Neji whispered suddenly, causing Kurama to stare at him.  
  
"Why not?" Kurama whispered back, smiling slightly at the fact that Neji was opening up to him.  
  
"Because I no longer had someone precious to share it with..." the white-eyed boy said so quietly that Kurama wouldn't have heard it if he didn't have animal-sensitive ears. "But now I do, and I'm glad..." Neji said, smiling a full and true smile for the first time.  
  
Kurama leaned over Neji and kissed him delicately on the lips. "I'm glad that you do..." he whispered into Neji's ear, giving it a little lick. The Hyuuga smiled again, and Kurama thought to himself, 'He's so relaxed and absolutely drop-dead gorgeous when he smiles...' Kurama rewarded him with another tender and loving kiss. "I love you..." he whispered into Neji's ear, causing the boy to freeze.  
  
"W-what?" Neji asked, almost afraid of the answer.  
  
Kurama smiled gently down on Neji and said again, "I love you, Hyuuga Neji. I love everything about you. Your hair, your eyes, your talents, your strengths, your weaknesses, but most of all, I love your beautiful smile and your personality." He smiled at the shocked look on Neji's face.  
  
"You love my bad points?" The Hyuuga asked softly.  
  
Kurama smiled beautifully, "Of course. Loving a person is loving everything good and bad about them. That's the way love works."  
  
"Would you still love me, if I showed you this?" Neji asked, taking off his headband and revealing the 'Bird in the Cage' seal. "This is the seal that the Hyuuga main house mark all those of the branch house with. When forming a certain seal, it causes great pain and can even kill the branch member. It can instantly kill the branch member, deactivating their Byakugan as well, stealing away the branch member's birth right even at death. This is how the main house controls the branch, and we cannot do anything about it. Can you still love me even with this curse?" Neji asked, bitterness coating his words.  
  
Kurama stared at the seal on Neji's forehead. He touched it absently, feeling the power of the seal thrum beneath his fingers. Leaning forward, he placed a kiss upon the marking.  
  
Neji stared at Kurama with wide and surprised eyes.  
  
"It is only a marking, Neji," Kurama explained tenderly, "And even if you think that it belittles you and makes you feel like your destiny is out of your control, I will always love you."  
  
Tears of joy began to well up in Neji's eyes as he smiled at Kurama. "I love you too, Kurama," he whispered, before flipping them over and kissing Kurama with such love that the youko found himself drowning in it.  
  
The night ended with the two curled up together, watching the last of the fireworks go off in the starry sky, smiles of content and happiness on their faces.  
  
---Later That Week---  
  
"Another mission? It isn't washing ANOTHER cat, is it? Those scratches took a while to heal," Kurama mumbled irritably. That cat's cuts had become infected, and that's the only reason why it didn't heal within the hour like any normal wound would have. He WAS a demon, after all.  
  
"No, we're not washing another cat. This mission is..." Gai paused for effect. "FINDING a lost cat!!" he shouted heroically.  
  
Both Kurama and Neji promptly sweatdropped. Kurama sighed and grumbled, "Then lets get it over with.  
  
I'm closing in on the prey Lee said into his microphone.  
  
I have you backed up Neji said.  
  
Prey in sight  
  
Okay... NOW GET IT! said Gai.  
  
The three of them jumped at the cat at the same time. The poor unsuspecting cat jumped out of the way, causing Lee and Neji to almost collide. Kurama, however, curved off after the cat and disappeared from sight.  
  
Kurama! This is a team effort! Gai shouted into the microphone.  
  
Sorry, but I really want to get this mission over with  
  
That's not an excuse! Now trace the cat and wait for your team to catch up!  
  
[sigh] Yes Gai-sensei  
  
Kurama followed the cat with an annoyed expression on his face. This was so DULL. Usually the D-rank missions were more exciting than THIS. Like gardening, for example... (only Kurama would think that more exciting)  
  
Target spotted, waiting for backup Kurama muttered into the microphone, hidden in the foliage.  
  
Good job. Stay put until the others arrive  
  
Yes Gai-sensei It was so utterly boring, chasing after a cat...  
  
Kurama smelt something funny on the air. His ears twitched when he the slightests of movements right behind him. Before he could react, hands covered his mouth and nose. Kurama tried to breath and took in some sort of chemical. 'You idiot, Kurama...' he thought to himself before he descended into darkness...  
  
(What would you do to me if I ended it here? [evil laugh])  
  
Kurama Gai said, We have surrounded the target. Are you ready?  
  
Silence.  
  
Kurama?!  
  
Silence.  
  
Kurama! Answer me!  
  
Nothing but silence.  
  
Kurama! Can you hear me?!  
  
Kurama?! Neji asked.  
  
Neji! Use Byakugan!  
  
Yes Neji immediately activated his Byakugan and searched his surroundings. He caught no sight of red hair. Gai! He disappeared!  
  
Lee! Capture the target and end the mission!  
  
Yes Gai-sensei!  
  
The cat was quickly caught and put in a cage they had taken along with them.  
  
"Gai-sensei? Where is Kurama?" Lee asked, getting worried as they met in the middle of a clearing.  
  
"I don't know, Lee. I will be right back to search for any sort of evidence," Gai said, completely serious for once. He disappeared, leaving an afterimage in his wake.  
  
"What are we going to do now, Neji?" Lee asked, getting more worried by the minute.  
  
Neji shook his head. "I don't know..." he said quietly. 'Kurama, where are you?!' he thought to himself, panicking slightly. 'Okay Neji, calm down. If you aren't in the right state of mind, finding Kurama will be impossible.'  
  
Gai returned a few minutes later with a serious face. "I found nothing. Absolutely nothing. Kurama is incredible to hide his presence so easily in the forest, I couldn't even find his trail. The only thing I found was presence of another shinobi, a skilled one, to be able to capture Kurama like that... The shinobi left behind only the chemical residue of a gas. It knocks a person out instantly."  
  
Both Neji and Lee's eyes were wide.  
  
"I think its safe to say that Kurama has been kidnapped right under our noses."  
  
---In the Stone Village---  
  
"Tsuchikage-sama!" Gai said, his expression utter seriousness. "My student Minamino Kurama has been kidnapped during a D-rank mission. The kidnapper left behind no evidence aside from the residue of a knockout gas. I request that a team of ANBU recover my student immediately."  
  
Tsuchikage's eyes widened slightly before narrowing. She became serious and thought over what had just happened. "I agree to your request. An ANBU squad will be sent out immediately to locate Minamino Kurama," she said, a deadly edge to her voice. After saying so, she gave orders to a messenger to retrieve an ANBU squad for her.  
  
Gai turned to his two students. "There is nothing we can do until Kurama is located. We will return to the Akachi manor and wait for news," he said gravely.  
  
Neji and Lee nodded their heads. Lee's expression openly showed his fear and worry. Neji's face had become stony cold.  
  
They remained at the manor until late that night. Only then did they receive some news, and it wasn't pleasant.  
  
"Tsuchikage wishes to see you," a messenger said.  
  
The two genin and the jounin didn't wait for the messenger to say anything else before they shot off in the direction of her office.  
  
"I have some bad news, Gai," Tsuchikage said. "My ANBU came back heavily wounded. At the moment they are unconscious. Kurama was not found, and the ANBU were ambushed in the forest by one man, they say. Things do not bode well..."  
  
"What are you going to do now, Tsuchikage-sama?" Gai asked.  
  
"I will send out three ANBU squads to locate and recover Minamino Kurama. This has now become an A-rank mission, possibly an S-rank. Kojii! I want ANBU squads 7, 6, and 2 to report to my office immediately!"  
  
"Hai Tsuchikage-sama!" the messenger squeaked out before vanishing in a puff of smoke.  
  
The three squads of ANBU appeared in the office with puffs of smoke, their attention focused solely on their kage.  
  
"I want the nine of you to locate a missing person. His name is Minamino Kurama. He is 5'8" and has vibrant blood red hair and green eyes. He was kidnapped at approximately 10 AM. Find him and retrieve him."  
  
"Wait! Tsuchikage-sama!" Gai exclaimed.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"I request that we go with this ANBU squad. He is my student, and I am responsible for him as well as you are now. Please, will you allow us to go with them?" Gai asked.  
  
Tsuchikage looked thoughtful. "Very well, you may go with them. I want the twelve of you to work together and stay together. Now, get going!"  
  
Gai bowed to the Tsuchikage before the twelve of them left the office and ran across the village.  
  
"Excuse me, Leaf jounin," the leader of the three squads said, running alongside Gai. "Where was the last place the target was located?"  
  
"Follow me. Neji! If you can't keep up, follow us at a slight distance, okay? Lee! Take off your weights!"  
  
"Hai Gai-sensei!" Lee said, stopping in his tracks to remove his weights. He was done quickly, and caught up with the group in an instant.  
  
The ANBU were shocked at his speed.  
  
"Let's go!" Gai shouted out, running through the forest to the place of their last mission.  
  
"We were completing a D-rank mission. The objective was to capture a cat. Kurama went ahead and I ordered him to wait for us. He did so. When we were about to capture the cat, I asked Kurama if he was ready. I received no answer, and when I tried to find him, I only found the chemical residue of a knockout gas. Kurama has incredible stealth, and even I couldn't track his path. The same goes for the kidnapper," Gai explained."  
  
"How could a genin have this kind of stealth?" one of the ANBU muttered to herself. "What is his history? Does he have any bloodline abilities that could help with his stealth?"  
  
Gai frowned. He knew very little about his student just because of the fact that he wasn't in the village before the last year at the academy. "Kurama is a mystery to us all. He was a lost child out in the forest, and one of our ANBU found him and brought him back. He chose to become a shinobi, and I don't even know if he has a bloodline limit. He lost his memory, you see."  
  
The ANBU who asked nodded her head and went back to trying to locate their target.  
  
"Kai, use your ability to look back and locate the child," the leader ordered one of the ANBU.  
  
"Hai."  
  
Gai and his students stared at the ANBU as he went into a trance, although you really couldn't tell because of the mask on his face.  
  
"The child... was waiting, watching a cat. A man dressed in black wearing a face mask snuck up behind the boy with a cloth in hand. The boy detected the kidnapper at the last moment, without any time to do anything before the cloth was put over his nose and mouth. He ran out of air and breathed in. Fell unconscious and was taken away..." the ANBU said in monotone before he started chasing after the unseen man, following where he went.  
  
They were lead through the forest by the ANBU in a trance. Eventually, they came to what appeared to be only a clearing. The ANBU snapped out of his trance at the edge of the clearing.  
  
"Eniwa, the target was taken into an underground establishment," the ANBU named Kai said.  
  
"Good job  
  
---With Kurama---  
  
Kurama slowly opened his eyes to come face to face with a dark room. Attempting to move, he discovered that he was chained to the wall of what seemed to be a dungeon.  
  
'Where am I?'  
  
"You are probably wondering where you are, Kurama-kun?" a voice said from the shadows.  
  
"Yes, as a matter of face, I am," Kurama said pleasantly. "Who might you be?"  
  
"My name is..."  
  
Cliffhanger! Mwahaha! **I'm still in Vancouver right now, and I'm not on my road trip yet.** Man, both chapter 20 and 21 in one day, nice, ne?


	22. Chapter TwentyTwo

**Kurama in Narutoland**  
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Chapter Twenty-Two:  
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"My name is..."  
  
Kurama blinked cutely at the tension in the air. 'Is this guy really that important? I mean, what an idiot, to pause to create dramatic tension like that. Geez.'  
  
"Orochimaru."  
  
_Dum dee dum dum dum!_  
  
Kurama raised an eyebrow. "What's an Orochimaru?" he asked.  
  
_Anime fall._  
  
BOOM!  
  
"BAKA! THAT ISN'T THE NEXT LINE!!" Orochimaru yelled out, pointing a finger at the redhead.  
  
"It isn't?" Kurama checked the script. "Oops. Oi Toki and Mirage! Give me another go at it!"  
  
Toki: [rolls eyes] Kurama no baka.  
  
Mirage: Damnit Kurama you're an idiot. Alright! 3... 2... 1... ACTION!  
  
**Kurama in Narutoland**  
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.  
Chapter Twenty-Two:  
.

.  
"My name is..."  
  
Kurama waited in anticipation for the name.  
  
"Orochimaru," Orochimaru said, coming out of the shadows with an evil grin on his face.  
  
Kurama burst out laughing at the look on his face.  
  
Mirage: DAMNIT KURAMA, GET SERIOUS! I know this is a lot of acting for you in one day, BUT THAT'S NO EXCUSE! Fans want another chapter!!  
  
Toki: [sighs] this is going to take all day.  
  
Mirage: 3... 2... 1... **ACTION!!**  
  
**Kurama in Narutoland**  
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Chapter Twenty-Two:  
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.  
"My name is..."  
  
Kurama's eyes were narrowed as he watched a snake-like figure come out of the shadows, slitted yellow eyes glinting in whatever light was provided by the torch on the wall.  
  
"Orochimaru," the snake man said with an evil grin on his face.  
  
Kurama's eyes flashed. "And who is Orochimaru?"  
  
The snake man grinned. "I am one of the three Sennin, also an S-rank missing-nin. I'm the one who had you kidnapped. You are useful to me. Oh, and if you are looking for that little fox of yours, don't bother. He's caged up here with no way out. Put up quite a fight for the kidnapper..."  
  
Kurama kept his expression calm, although he was fuming on the inside. "How am I useful to you?" he asked, a dangerous edge in his voice.  
  
Orochimaru only smirked. "I will show you..." he said. Suddenly, his neck lengthened and he came at Kurama with incredible speed.  
  
Kurama tried to jump away instinctively, but the chains held him still. Eyes wide, he could only watch as the snake man dug his fangs into the conjunction between his neck and left shoulder. His face became pale as he felt a sickly energy begin to flow through his veins. A pained moan escaped him as he tried to stay conscious.  
  
Orochimaru licked the mark on Kurama's skin and watched as it formed into the curse seal. He looked at Kurama's and found himself aroused by the pained look on the beautiful redhead's face. He licked the curse seal again, tasting the boy's sweet flavour and the taint of the seal together. It was delicious... His neck shortened and he became normal again.  
  
Kurama watched as Orochimaru walked forward, disgusted with the man. Pain wracked his body as three energies fought for control. Kurama's chakra was the first to be beaten into submissiveness, but ended up taking the same side as Kurama's youki, which was fighting valiantly for power. The third energy, that of the curse seal, tried to poison Kurama's chakra, but his youki created a barrier around it. All the youki could do was protect Kurama's chakra as the sickly energy started to replace where Kurama's chakra once was. Soon Kurama had the sickly chakra flowing through his chakra pathways, making him feel dirty. The youki had sealed itself and his chakra away into a black marking on his forehead that looked liked an angry fox. The fox-like seal flashed red before it became black again, inactive. However, Orochimaru never saw this happen, because Kurama's hair kept it hidden.  
  
"You will now become my servant, Kurama-kun," Orochimaru said with a sick smirk on his face. "Surrender to the incredible power I bestowed upon you. Isn't that what ever shinobi wants? Power?" Orochimaru laughed evilly as he watched Kurama slip into unconsciousness.  
  
---Scene Change---  
  
"So we found out where Kurama was taken. What do we do now?" Neji asked, arms crossed as he glared at the clearing.  
  
"We will infiltrate it and locate Kurama. After that we rescue him. What else is there to do?" the ANBU asked, already walking forward.  
  
Neji glared at the ANBU leader and asked, "What if complications arise?"  
  
"Then we deal with them."  
  
One thing was running through the Leaf shinobi's minds at that moment. 'What strange Stone ANBU.'  
  
And so, they did what the ANBU leader said and followed as he opened the hidden entrance in the ground and jumped down. They were met with a long tunnel lined with torches for light. They ran along the tunnel, trying to get to the other end as swiftly as possible before they got caught and had to kill.  
  
When they got to the end they entered a large empty room. There was nothing inside.  
  
The ANBU walked forward into the room, careful of their surroundings. Using sign language, the ANBU leader, Eniwa, motioned for them to spread out along the walls and be cautious.  
  
"You were foolish to come after Kurama-kun," a voice said before the entrance to the tunnel was blocked by a metal door sliding into place. Gas entered the room instantly, and soon all were knocked unconscious.  
  
"Foolish," Orochimaru said.  
  
"Indeed," Kabuto agreed, walking into the room with a gas mask on his face. He dragged the bodies one-by-one into another room full of cells and locked them all away separately.  
  
"The anti-chakra spells on the cells and locks should keep them from going anywhere, Orochimaru-sama," Kabuto said when he was done.  
  
"Good. I can't have them escaping before I am done with Kurama-kun."  
  
"Hai."  
  
---Later---  
  
Neji woke up and found himself trapped in a dungeon. 'Great. Now what the hell do we do?' he thought sourly to himself, glaring at the ANBU leader that had got them all into this.  
  
"You can't blame him, though," Lee said, catching the look Neji sent his way. "He had no idea something like this was going to happen, just like the two of us didn't. Infiltrations are unpredictable, Neji."  
  
"How long do you think we've been here?" Neji asked, rather angry with himself for not catching on to their plans.  
  
"No clue. The adults haven't woken up yet, though. Do you know why?" Lee asked, in the cell across from Neji.  
  
"Maybe because we're younger and it got out of our systems faster? I really don't know," Neji said.  
  
"Okay. Since your awake now, try to use your Byakugan," Lee said, serious for once.  
  
Neji tried to activate his Byakugan, but found that he couldn't access his chakra at all. "What's going on?!" he shouted, waking up a few ANBU, including Gai.  
  
"It won't work?!" Lee asked incredulously.  
  
"My chakra... I can't access it at all," Neji said, deathly serious.  
  
Lee's eyes widened. "Seriously?!"  
  
Neji only nodded his head and watched through the bars as the adults finally woke up.  
  
"What the hell," one muttered, rubbing their head.  
  
"What do we do now?" another commented.  
  
---With Orochimaru---  
  
"Has Kurama-kun woken up yet, Kabuto?"  
  
"No, he hasn't. However, he may wake up soon; he is tossing in his sleep. It is amazing that he lived through it at all. I had thought he would die long ago," Kabuto said softly.  
  
"He may be too stubborn, or his chakra was just weak," Orochimaru commented, taking a sip of red wine.  
  
"Hai, Orochimaru-sama. I will let you know when Kurama-kun awakens."  
  
"Good."  
  
---With Our Poor Hero---  
  
Kurama's head hurt like a bitch when he opened his eyes. No light shone in the room he was in, and he couldn't think at all. His head pounded like someone had hit it with a hammer, many times. Sitting up, he felt pain lance through his whole body. The sickly chakra was running along his chakra pathways, and he couldn't access his real chakra or youki any more. That meant that he couldn't control plants either, without tainting them with the evil chakra. Looking down, he saw strange leaf-like markings all over his body, completely covering him. Holding his head again, he wondered why it hurt so much.  
  
---With Orochimaru---  
  
"Orochimaru-sama! He just woke up!" Kabuto said, rushing back into the room where Orochimaru was calmly sipping his wine.  
  
The snake man's head shot up when he heard this, and he put his wine on the table. "Good," he said with an evil smirk that caused shivers to shoot down Kabuto's spine.  
  
Kurama's eyes narrowed when the door to the room suddenly opened, light filtering in. The shadow standing in the doorway was none other than Orochimaru, who was carrying a torch. Placing it on the wall, Orochimaru eyed his new prey. The boy was completely covered in the curse seal markings, causing Orochimaru to smile.  
  
"So, Kurama-kun. What do you think of the power I gave you?" Orochimaru asked with a devilish grin.  
  
Kurama glared coldly, his eyes a frigid green that caused Orochimaru's grin to grow. "I don't want it, and I don't need it," he said, his voice colder than ice.  
  
"You don't want it? I highly doubt that. Isn't there anyone you'd like to surpass? Kurama-kun? How about that Lee kid, he's far faster than you, and Neji, he's more powerful than you. But now, with my help, you've become more powerful than both of them."  
  
Kurama's head felt light as he listened to Orochimaru's words. He was... weaker... than them? No... that wasn't right... He had always been more powerful than them... And now, because of Orochimaru, his chakra and youki were cut off from him. Orochimaru had given him a handy cap, NOT power. "You're wrong..." he whispered. The pain was getting worse.  
  
Orochimaru was shocked. How had Kurama denied him? With that curse seal's negative energy, it should have helped him brainwash Kurama. Why wasn't it working?  
  
"You're wrong..." Kurama whispered again, shuddering from the incredible pain. It was like nothing he'd ever felt before. Far more painful than any flesh wound he'd ever received before...  
  
"No, Kurama. I am right. You are weak without the curse seal. The only way you will ever achieve your dreams is with the help of the curse seal's power. If you accept that power, you will be unstoppably powerful," Orochimaru said in a soothing tone, trying to brainwash Kurama into believing him. "You need the curse seal," he stated.  
  
"I... need... the curse... seal," Kurama said, his head heavy and drunken.  
  
"You need the curse seal."  
  
"I need... the curse seal."  
  
"You will call me Master."  
  
"Master..."  
  
"Good. Now, surrender to the power of the curse seal and become unstoppable!"  
  
Kurama's eyes became glazed over, the pupil no longer visible. "Hai, Master." His power fluxuated, and suddenly burst forth to encompass him.  
  
"Good job, my pet," Orochimaru said with a wicked smirk.  
  
---Scene Change---  
  
"Gai-sensei, what do we do now?" Lee asked, tears streaming down his face.  
  
"We will figure something out Lee!!" Gai said, striking a pose, and ended up hitting his head because he was so tall. "Ow!" he exclaimed, grabbing his head.  
  
"Baka," Neji said calmly, leaning against the wall with his eyes closed.  
  
Suddenly, the door opened, letting light into the room. Orochimaru stood their in all his 'glory'. (cough)  
  
"You wish to see Kurama-kun?" he asked smoothly.  
  
"Yes!" Gai said.  
  
Orochimaru's smirk was hidden by the lighting. "Very well. Follow me." With a snap of his fingers, the doors to the cells unlocked and swung open.  
  
The three ANBU squads and Gai's team followed Orochimaru suspiciously out of the room.  
  
They entered a very large room that was smooth with metal. "Kurama-kun, come out and say hello to your old friends," Orochimaru said, disappearing.  
  
Kurama walked out from the shadows, his eyes dead and skin covered in the green curse seal markings.  
  
"Kill them."  
  
The group's eyes widened when Kurama came at them with a deadly sword. They were forced to split up when the sword hit the metal floor and blew a hole in it.  
  
"Kurama! What the hell is wrong with you?!" Neji shouted angrily, activating his Byakugan.  
  
Kurama didn't answer, and merely turned his attention to the white-eyed boy to attack him.  
  
Neji dodged the assault with trouble. 'Since when has Kurama been so fast?!' he thought to himself, dodging another strike.  
  
Gai shouted out, "Kurama! Get a hold of yourself! Orochimaru is controlling you!"  
  
Kurama stopped attacking Neji and went after Gai, surprising the jounin immensely. Kurama managed to land a hit on Gai, making one of his legs useless.  
  
'Impossible,' Gai thought, eyes wide as Kurama went in for the kill.  
  
Neji grabbed onto Kurama from behind, wrapping his arms around the redhead's stomach. "Kurama! Stop it!" he shouted, trying to get the redhead to calm down.  
  
Kurama tried to throw Neji off, and the ANBU and others could only watch as Neji was thrown off and stabbed in the stomach in the same motion.  
  
Eyes wide, Neji clutched his stomach. He looked up at Kurama with wide sad eyes, tears gathering in the corners. The one who had claimed to love him was about to kill him...  
  
"Finish the Hyuuga brat off, Kurama-kun," Orochimaru ordered.  
  
Kurama froze, and a word came from his mouth. "Hyuuga?"  
  
Neji's eyes widened at spark of hope that formed in his chest. "Yes! I'm Hyuuga Neji, Kurama! Your friend! Remember me! Don't you remember the night of the festival Kurama? What we said to eachother?!" Neji shouted, becoming emotional.  
  
"Festival..." Kurama's eyes unglazed and he stared at Neji in shock. "NEJI!" He shouted, catching the white-eyed boy as he collapsed. "NO! NEJI!!" the green-eyed beauty shouted, tears streaming down his cheeks. "YOU CAN'T DIE!" he wailed, clutching Neji to him.  
  
"I'm sorry, Kurama," Neji whispered.  
  
Kurama shook his head in denial. "No... It can't be... Neji..."  
  
Neji's eyes closed and Kurama broke down. "NO! Neji... Ne... ji..."  
  
"You did a good job, Kurama. Now kill the rest of them. Remember! You need the curse seal!" Orochimaru shouted in hopes of controlling Kurama again.  
  
Kurama was pissed off. Not only had Orochimaru manipulated him, he had forced him to kill the one he loved!! "You bastard..." he said softly. "YOU BASTARD!!" he screamed, placing Neji gently on the ground. "I'LL KILL YOU!!" he shouted furiously.  
  
"Just try, Kurama-kun," Orochimaru said with a wicked smile.  
  
Kurama felt pain lance through his body from all the anger welling up inside of him. He collapsed to his knees. Eyes narrowing, he tried to focus on the chakra and youki sealed in his forehead.  
  
"There is no way anyone can overpower the curse seal, Kurama-kun. It only disappears at death!" Orochimaru shouted, laughing evilly.  
  
"Bastard..." Kurama muttered as he collapsed to the ground, unable to access his chakra or youki. Summing the evil chakra, he attacked Orochimaru with all his will, ignoring the pain and becoming a mindless attacker. "I'll kill you," he whispered, stabbing at Orochimaru with his bloodied sword. "For what you made me do, I'LL KILL YOU!" Kurama shouted, enraged for the first time in his whole life.  
  
"For what I did? You are the one who stabbed the Hyuuga brat through the stomach, Kurama-kun," Orochimaru taunted. "It's all YOUR fault he's dead."  
  
Kurama stopped his attacking, eyes wide. They suddenly narrowed, and Kurama began laughing evilly, scaring everyone in the room, even Orochimaru, with its evil intent. "It was my fault you say? Do you think I am naïve enough to believe such bull shit, Orochimaru?" Kurama started laughing again, an evil look in his eyes. "I am no fool, Orochimaru. I know that what you say is lies. I am far from naïve," Kurama said with an evil smirk that rivaled Orochimaru's.  
  
Orochimaru was shocked. The boy had such buried malice? It would have been perfect to use if he had found it BEFORE Kurama aimed it at him! "Damnit!" he cursed under his breath.  
  
"Prepare to feel pain like no other, Orochimaru," Kurama said, reaching into his hair. He pulled out a death tree seed and shoved all of his evil chakra into it...  
  
**Still in Vancouver people, and writing as many chapters as possible. Nasty cliffhanger, ne? [evil cackle]**


	23. Chapter TwentyThree

**Kurama in Narutoland**  
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Chapter Twenty-Three  
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"Prepare to feel pain like no other, Orochimaru," Kurama said, reaching into his hair. He pulled out a death tree seed and shoved all of his evil chakra into it. It appeared instantly, acid dripping from its mouth onto the metal ground, melting huge holes in it. "I suggest you do not move, Leaf and Stone shinobi. Otherwise the death tree will attack you," Kurama emotionlessly warned before he set the plant against Orochimaru, who was panicking. Jumping out of the way, he tried to get away from the huge plant.  
  
Watching Orochimaru attempt to dodge the attacks, Kurama was smiling evilly the whole time. It reminded him of Karasu and his battle.  
  
The death tree snagged Orochimaru, and a scream was heard before he was buried beneath the many 'heads' of the plant. Kurama smirked evilly, but suddenly clutched his chest. Why did it hurt? What was wrong with him? Opening his senses, he discovered that the death tree was slowly eating away at his chakra source. 'Damnit! Since I'm not using youki, it'll eat away all my chakra and kill me!' Kurama instantly made the tree ungrow and become a seed again. It left a badly burned Orochimaru on the ground. Kurama's vision began to swim. The evil chakra hadn't been enough to sustain the death tree, and that only proved its weakness. His own chakra would have lasted many times longer just because of the fact that it was untainted. Growling softly, he fell to his knees, holding his chest. 'Neji...' was the last thought on his mind before he fell into peaceful oblivion.  
  
Orochimaru sat up with a glare at the unconscious Kurama. 'He could have killed me,' he thought to himself. Moving quickly, he disappeared, leaving the underground hideout with Kabuto immediately. 'I will have you as my servant another time, Kurama. There is nothing you can do to resist the evil of the curse seal,' Orochimaru thought, laughing evilly under his breath.  
  
"Kurama?" Gai asked, walking towards the unconscious redhead. Flipping him over, he was met with a beautifully peaceful expression on the once insane boy's face. Looking over, Gai eyed Neji. Seeing his chest rise, he let out a sigh of relief. "Kurama is fine, just depleted of chakra. We must get Neji to the hospital as soon as possible!"  
  
Two ANBU picked Neji up and held him gently between the two of them. They left the hideout quickly, heading in the direction of the Hidden Stone.  
  
---Time Elapses---  
  
Kurama heard voices talking around him. Bits like '...he went crazy...' '...lost his mind...' '...-chimaru escaped wounded...'  
  
Opening his eyes slowly, he was met with the (ugly) face of his sensei.  
  
"Are you feeling okay, Kurama?" Gai asked, worried about his student.  
  
Kurama blinked slowly, trying to think clearly. Where was he? All he could remember was Orochimaru... Neji... Sword... Blood. Shooting up in bed, eyes wide, Kurama gasped out through intense pain, "What about Neji?!! WHAT HAPPENED TO NEJI?!!"  
  
Gai smiled softly and said, "He is recovering. He should be awake within a few more days."  
  
Kurama relaxed and fell back onto the bed clutching at the curse seal on his left shoulder. It really, really hurt. Damn Orochimaru... the bastard.  
  
"Does it hurt?" Gai asked, becoming serious.  
  
Kurama smiled weakly. "Hurts like a bitch," he choked out, clutching it harder. It was beginning to spread again.  
  
Gai's eyes widened when he saw the markings extending outwards like before. "Shit! Kurama, fight it back with your will! If you don't it'll control you again!"  
  
Eyes widening, Kurama focused his will on the curse to beat it back to its marking. To his surprise, its power over him collapsed under his will easily and retreated instantly. Staring at it, he wondered how it could be so easy.  
  
"You must have a very strong will, Kurama," Gai said with a fond smile, giving Kurama the thumbs up.  
  
Smiling softly, Kurama nodded his head. His will had been honed throughout the many hundreds of years he had lived, as well as his mind. That's why he hadn't fallen prey to Orochimaru's hypnotic words.  
  
The days passed uneventfully. Lee stopped by to visit both Kurama and Neji every day to wish them well and say positive words (even if Neji was unconscious for it all).  
  
The Hyuuga prodigy woke five days after Kurama, his body completely healed by the professional medic-nin at the hospital. Kurama was allowed to visit along with Lee and Gai, but had to be careful in case his curse started acting up again.  
  
Kurama jumped on Neji as soon as they entered the room, surprising the Hyuuga out of his wits. "Kurama?" he asked softly.  
  
The redhead whispered in his ear sorrowfully, "I'm so sorry, Neji..." A tear escaped his eye and landed on Neji's neck.  
  
"It's okay, Kurama," Neji said, hugging Kurama back and breathing in the smell of his hair. A silver fox popped out and licked Neji on the nose. "Ah, hello there, Shinrin," Neji said, smiling slightly at the fox.  
  
Shinrin made a squeak noise in response and jumped onto Neji's lap.  
  
Kurama pulled back and sat on a chair by Neji's bed. "How are you feeling?" he asked after calming down.  
  
"Fine," Neji said shortly, absently petting Shinrin on the head.  
  
"Does it hurt anywhere?" Kurama asked.  
  
Neji shook his head and looked at the other occupants of the room. "Lee, Gai," he said, nodding his head in greeting.  
  
"You fit to walk?" Gai asked.  
  
Neji looked down at himself and shook his head. "My body is still too weak from the healing," he grudgingly admitted.  
  
Gai nodded his head and said with energy, "Well you heal up as soon as possible, Neji! Come along Lee, we're going to train some more." The two of them left the room.  
  
Kurama stood up and locked the door silently. He turned around and grinned at Neji, who was smirking. "Are you too weary from healing for this?" he asked slyly, walking to the end of Neji's bed with graceful movements.  
  
"I never said that," Neji began with a smirk, "I said I couldn't stand."  
  
Kurama smirked and crawled onto the bed. Straddling Neji, Kurama leaned down for a kiss. "I'm sorry," he whispered before their lips touched and silenced any response Neji had to it by molding their lips together. When the sweet, tender, lovingly gentle kiss was finished, Neji was blown away by the powerful emotions behind it. Kurama followed up the kiss with another gentle one on Neji's pulse. The redhead licked a wet trail up to Neji's left ear and sucked on an earlobe.  
  
A knock on the door stopped them in their tracks, and Kurama sighed.  
  
"Ever notice that we're always interrupted?" Neji asked with an irritated look.  
  
"Of course," Kurama said calmly and smoothly, standing from the bed to open the door.  
  
The nurse walked in and gave Kurama a short lecture. "Doors in hospitals are not supposed to be locked by civilians. It's a safety precaution," she said gently with a smile before walking towards Neji to examine his vitals. "You are doing well, child. You should be able to get up and move around within a few days. The doctor will come by later to give you a full examination and decide if it is okay to let you go," the nurse said, leaving with a smile.  
  
Kurama watched her go and sighed when the door closed. "I should get going, really. My doctor will be by to check on me soon-"  
  
=Mr. Minamino, will you please return you your room, the doctor is waiting for you.=  
  
Kurama grinned sheepishly at the announcement. "I'll be by later, Neji. Get better soon," Kurama said, leaving the room with a happy and worriless smile.  
  
Once arriving at his room, Kurama sat on the bed and waited as the doctor examined his vitals and body. After done with that, the doctor took one final look at the curse seal. Sighing, the man started, "I'm sorry to say that there's nothing I, or any other doctor, can do for that marking. It is best that you take it to Tsuchikage-sama and see if she knows anything about it. A library would also be a good place to look. I release you from my care. You may go now." The doctor left the room to go to his next patient.  
  
Sighing, Kurama stood from his hospital bed. 'Time to get out of here,' he thought to himself.  
  
The first place he stopped by was Tsuchikage, but he was told that she was in an important meeting and could not be disturbed. Calmly accepting what the ANBU guard told him, Kurama left immediately for the library.  
  
"Excuse me, sir, are you looking for any book in particular?" a young roguish boy asked with a grin.  
  
Kurama smiled at the child and nodded his head. "I'm looking for books or scrolls on 'seals'," he explained.  
  
The boy led him deep into the library and showed him a section of shelving with many books and scrolls. "You'll find scrolls and books on seals here. Have a nice day," the boy said dutifully before running off to help another person.  
  
Watching the boy leave, Kurama smiled softly. Children were always so innocent. Looking back to the shelf, he searched for a random title that caught his attention... A book with no title on it at all piqued his interest, and he jumped up to snag it off the shelf, it was so high up. Landing on the floor silently, he opened the book and flipped through the pages. It was amazing, all the seals that were listed. Accidentally skipping a page, he flipped back and gasped. In the middle of the page was a drawing of the curse seal. The caption read:  
  
'An interesting seal with no real name. Its creator is unknown as is much about the peculiar marking. Some call it the 'curse seal' for lack of a better term.  
  
It is said that the marking contains negative energy and poisons the marked person's chakra within hours of the marking. Eventually, the marking will try to take over their mind, unless controlled with an iron will.  
  
There are three levels to the curse seal. The first is when intricate markings spread across the marked person's skin and give them an incredible boost of chakra. This boost of negative energy can take its toll on a person over time, causing them to become heartless or cold.  
  
The second level of the curse is when the marked person becomes half- monster. There is very little information on how level two is attained or sustained.  
  
The third level there is no solid information about. It is said in rumors that this is when a person becomes a demon with no heart or compassion.  
  
The only way the curse seal can be removed from the marked person is if they die, or the one who placed the marking upon them dies. It is rumored that if the marked person has a powerful enough will and chakra, they can over power it, causing a back-lash of energy to the one who placed it on them, possibly killing him or her.'  
  
Kurama mulled over the information the book provided. 'Three levels? I couldn't over power it when I first got the damn thing, and if I can't train my chakra because I have to access to it, what can I do?'  
  
Unbeknownst to Kurama, because he wasn't using his chakra or youki at all, it was able to grow at twice the rate, therefore increasing his overall capacity of it.  
  
Feeling a pulse at his forehead, Kurama rubbed the spot. To his shock, he felt his chakra and youki there, sealed away. 'How'd that happen? How is all of it sealed away in my forehead?' Although Kurama was confused at this new development, he decided to learn some new jutsus or techniques. He had nothing better to do, anyway.  
  
Kurama stayed in the library far past closing time, hiding from the librarian as she looked around to make sure no one was left inside. Once the lights were turned out, Kurama formed a small light of chakra to float over his shoulder and give him light. It took very little chakra if performed properly.  
  
Kurama studied the books late into the night, taking in everything he read without having to look over it twice. He learned a lot about chakra, chakra control, and chakra manipulation in the time he studied at the library that night. There were many ways explained in some books that helped a person with chakra control and chakra manipulation, and Kurama decided that he wanted to work on chakra manipulation. Holding out his hand, he summoned a ball of chakra to float above his hand. The book said to keep that ball of chakra there without wasting any of it for long periods of time.  
  
To both Kurama's shock and annoyance, he was unable to properly sustain the ball of chakra for more than a minute. It was THAT difficult to prevent any chakra from leaving it and keeping it in the same form at the same time.  
  
The red-haired 12-year-old boy worked on that for hours on end, the time he could hold it there increasing dramatically as he worked at it. It truly was an ingenius way to increase one's control of chakra. After being able to hold it for an hour, he went onto the next step. It said to make the ball change shape constantly without losing any chakra for an hour.  
  
Kurama had gotten the hang of chakra control by then, and was able to concentrate long enough to keep the ball changing into intricate shapes and forms. About a half and hour into it, he had a dancer twirling across his palm with a fiery passion. Tired from the long night and endless hours of concentration, Kurama snuck out of the library, planning on returning after getting a few hours sleep.  
  
Gai had different plans, however.  
  
"Since the kidnapping, you're going to be training harder every single day for longer. Lee has already started the training," Gai explained to Kurama when he woke up the next morning, "and now its time that you started, since you were released from the hospital yesterday."  
  
Kurama calmly nodded his head and allowed himself to be dragged outside by an enthusiastic Gai. "First, we're going to have you wearing weights," he said with a smile.  
  
Kurama froze. 'What the hell do I tell him if he finds out I'm wearing weights that weigh around 1000 pounds?! That's far heavier than Lee's 300 pound ones!' "Yes, Gai-sensei," he said meekly, and put the weights Gai handed him around his ankles and wrists, making sure to not show his weight shin guards and arm guards. "How heavy are these?" he asked, lifting a leg.  
  
"20 pounds. Once you get used to them, you will add another 20," Gai said, giving Kurama the thumbs up.  
  
"Yes, Gai-sensei," Kurama said wearily.  
  
"Now, for the rest of the training: 50 pushups on your finger tips, 20 using each arm, 200 regular pushups, 300 situps, 100 legups, and 50 situps hanging upside from a tree. You have to touch your toes during the last one. Next you will punch a tree 100 hundred times as hard as you can. After that, I want 200 laps around the Hidden Stone in one hour at most. After that you'll walk for a bit to cool down, and then you get to eat lunch. After eating lunch, I train you in taijutsu. After doing that for 3 hours straight, we will go to a nearby lake and practice forms of chakra control. Lee will not be taking part from here on, and will be doing his own training. After chakra control, we will be going to the library to study for the rest of the evening. I do not know a sufficient amount of ninjutsu or genjutsu to teach you in that area, unfortunately, so you may have to go to a different teacher to learn that area. After the library closes, you are free. We will not be doing missions until our team is at top shape again. You ready?"  
  
Kurama was currently staring at his sensei with an incredulous look on his face. "You're serious?" he asked fruitlessly, already knowing the answer.  
  
"Of course!" Gai said, giving the thumbs up with a twinkle tooth.  
  
Gulping nervously, Kurama waited in horror for Lee to arrive so they could start the training. 'This is insane,' he thought to himself, gulping again. 'Even HIEI wouldn't be crazy enough to do this kind of training...'  
  
"I'm here!" Lee shouted happily when he arrived at their new training site in the woods.  
  
"Good, now we can get started," Gai said with a grin.  
  
"First: 50 pushups on your finger tips!"  
  
Lee finished 5 before Kurama. However, the redhead consoled his ego by telling himself that he weighed far more than Lee did with all the extra weights.  
  
"20 with your right arm!"  
  
They did so, Lee still finishing before Kurama.  
  
"20 with your left!"  
  
They continued the training far into the morning. By the time they finished all the pushups situps, etc, it was time to punch trees.  
  
Kurama successfully bloodied his knuckles, as did Lee. To the surprise of both Lee and Gai, Kurama had a larger dent in his tree.  
  
Afterwards, tired as hell, they started their 200 laps around the Hidden Stone in one hour. Lee finished before Kurama and got to eat first, but Kurama was still happy that he made it within the hour. After all, the 1020 some odd weights were KILLING him. He cooled down by walking around town before grabbing take out at a restaurant. He didn't want the people in there to stare at his sweaty body any longer than possible. After paying for his lunch, he took it to the hospital to tell Neji of the horrors that was training.  
  
"He made you do all that? Seriously?" Neji asked, rather incredulous.  
  
Kurama gave Neji a half-lidded look. "Take a good look at me, smart ass, does it look like I've been relaxing all day?"  
  
Neji smirked at Kurama and took his hands into his own. "Rather bloodied up. You should get the nurse to heal them."  
  
Kurama only shrugged and shared his food with Neji. Once he was done, he bid his lover farewell and went back to train in Taijutsu with Gai in a clearing in the forest.  
  
After 3 grueling hours of that, they went to the lake half a kilometer away to practice chakra control. Lee went off to do more laps or something.  
  
"Chakra control. Absolutely crucial to become a good shinobi, unless you are strong in other areas, like taijutsu. Focus your chakra to your feet and try to walk on the water," Gai explained.  
  
Kurama tried it, and was able to immediately, to Gai's shock. Smiling, he decided to have a little fun. Using his newfound chakra control skills (that he had developed the previous night) Kurama performed a few aerobatic stunts. It was fun, and a challenge, to continuously refocus his chakra in the middle of a twist.  
  
Gai was sufficiently shocked at the end of the show, and decided that no further practice of chakra control would do Kurama any good. "I'll leave you on your own to learn jutsu. There should be an archive at the library. Have fun!" Gai called, disappearing with a poof.  
  
Kurama stopped his movements on the water and looked around at the lake. The water was so peaceful and undisturbed... Focusing his chakra, he started to form his Water Whirlwind no Jutsu. Using incredible focus, he managed to get three of them up and going before he lost concentration and they collapsed, causing the water to ripple, and Kurama to stumble across its ripples. Getting an idea, he grinned. Performing the jutsu again, he formed one water cyclone and focused on using as little chakra as possible to keep it going. To his surprise, it was rather easy, and soon he had more than five going.  
  
That was when his curse seal decided he'd had enough fun. Pain lanced through his whole body, causing his jutsu to fall apart, and Kurama to clutch at his seal. The seal spread across his body like a disease, and Kurama had trouble forcing it back while trying to keep himself afloat at the same time. Taking a deep breath, he released the chakra on his feet and instantly plummeted with incredible speed to the bottom of the incredibly deep lake. The 1020 pounds was dragging him down at an incredible pace, and Kurama panicked, causing the curse seal to get farther out of his control...  
  
Still in Vancouver. I fly home in two days! Yay! Can't wait! Updates coming daily now, ne? You all are really happy about that, I bet [wink].  
  
**IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS WHAT SO EVER** (like Sagi-chan had) **ASK AWAY IN A REVIEW**. Hope you like my story, ja!


	24. Chapter TwentyFour

**Kurama in Narutoland**  
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Chapter Twenty-Four:  
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The 1220 pounds was dragging him down at an incredible pace, and Kurama panicked, causing the curse seal to get farther out of his control...  
  
He was running out of air, and this caused things to get further out of control. Hitting the lake bottom with a thud, Kurama tried to calm down and force the curse seal back. It took a few precious moments, but it was gone soon after.  
  
Completely out of breath and stuck on the lake bottom, Kurama couldn't think clearly enough to figure out what to do. Stopping all movement and calming down, Kurama kicked off and tried to swim upwards.  
  
-Master, what is going on?-  
  
Kurama's eyes widened in realization.  
  
/Shinrin! Change into a large water dragon! Hurry!/  
  
Shinrin did so, and Kurama asked him to swim to the top with him on his back.  
  
They broke the surface of the lake with a huge splash, considering Shinrin's size. Kurama lied on Shinrin's head, breathing in huge gulps of air. That was so close, it wasn't funny.  
  
/Thank you, Shinrin. You saved my life/ Kurama thought to Shinrin.  
  
-Master cannot breath under water?-  
  
/No, I can't. However, YOU can, and that's good. I'm going to sleep now, Shinrin. Can you put me by the shore and transform into a fox again?/  
  
-Of course, Master-  
  
Shinrin did so, and Kurama allowed himself to fall asleep with his pet watching over him.  
  
When Kurama next awoke, he found himself staring at the starry sky by the shore of the lake. What had happened? Oh yeah... he sunk. Like a 1220 pound rock. Ouch. Gripping his head as he sat up, Kurama contemplated the situation. It was probably rather late, and Gai most likely thought he was at the library still, or something. Imagine if he had actually drowned... No one would have EVER found him... Freaky thought...  
  
Standing up in a graceful motion, Kurama searched for any sign of Shinrin. The silver fox was found sleeping curled up on a rock by the edge of the water. He was looking rather comfortable, Kurama thought to himself bitterly. Walking forward with purpose, Kurama picked the little fox up and gently held him. With that done, he quickly made his way back to the Akachi's residence.  
  
----The Next Morning----  
  
"Kurama! Get up!" Neji said furiously, trying to shake the dead to the world redhead awake.  
  
Kurama merely moaned a sleepy, "Five more minutes, mother."  
  
Neji froze at this comment and stared at Kurama in shock. Did he remember something from his past? Redoubling his efforts, Neji sat on Kurama's stomach, causing all the air to rush out instantly.  
  
Kurama opened his eyes wide and pushed Neji off him. "Jesus, can't a guy get any sleep around here? God... I almost fucking drown and now I can't even get a decent night's sleep..." Kurama mumbled under his breath, yet Neji heard every word.  
  
"YOU ALMOST DROWNED?!" Neji shouted, completely losing his composure.  
  
Kurama froze like a deer caught in headlights. 'Shit...' "Ah... that is... I went for a little swim and forgot to take my weights off!" Kurama said with an uncomfortable laugh.  
  
Not satisfied with the answer, but not knowing what else to do, Neji just grabbed Kurama by his collar and tried to drag him upwards. To his shock, Kurama was too heavy for him to even lift. "How heavy are your weights?" he asked incredulously.  
  
Blinking and sweatdropping, Kurama said with a laugh, "20 pounds of course, just like you will be because of Gai." Standing up, Kurama stopped any objection by pulling off his cover and shirt in one pull, revealing his well-toned chest as well as the weight on the front and back that strapped together.  
  
"What's that? That's not Gai-sensei's weights," Neji asked curiously.  
  
"I got weights specially made for me a little while after our team was set up together," Kurama answered smoothly, not missing a beat.  
  
"Oh," was all Neji could say as he watched Kurama undress with a shameless expression.  
  
"Aren't you bold," Kurama commented with a smile as he pulled his boxers off. At this move, Neji blushed bright read at seeing Kurama in his birthday clothes (aside from the arm and shin guards, the chest weight, and the weights Gai had made Kurama wear). "Not so shameless now, no?" Kurama asked, seductively turning around and giving Neji a nice view of his ass as he leaned down to pull clean boxers and a green Chinese fighting uniform out of his bag.  
  
Neji swallowed nervously and watched Kurama's smooth and graceful movements with captivated white eyes.  
  
"Liking the show?" Kurama asked once he was fully dressed.  
  
Neji had the decency to blush again, this time a bright cherry red. He didn't comment.  
  
Kurama laughed melodically and left the room, pulling a blushing Neji out with him  
  
The last few days of their time in the Hidden Stone passed uneventfully. Tsuchikage didn't give them any more missions, and the three of them trained fiercely, adding more weight daily.  
  
The day soon arrived when it was time to go back to Konoha. The chuunin selection exam was coming up, and they DEFINITELY didn't want to miss it.  
  
"Gai-sensei," Kurama began, "Do you think we are ready for the chuunin exam?"  
  
Gai's chest puffed out as he struck a pose. "OF COURSE! ANY STUDENT OF MINE IS READY FOR ANYTHING!"  
  
"YES GAI-SENSEI!" Lee shouted.  
  
Both of the 'Beautiful Green Beasts of Konoha' jumped at eachother and hugged, tears streaming down their faces.  
  
Kurama only shook his head and slung his pack onto his back. Shinrin complained slightly about the thing coming so close to him. Kurama ignored the muttering and dragged Neji off behind him, leaving Gai and Lee to do what green beasts do:  
  
Act like idiots.  
  
(In Kurama's opinion.)  
  
(CoughandNejicough)  
  
Eventually Gai and Lee got over themselves and caught up with the slow pace Kurama and Neji had unconsciously set immediately.  
  
They traveled at top speed for the whole day, their stamina greatly increased by their new training schedule. Taking a very short stop for lunch, they continued after at the same pace until they amazingly reached Konoha around 6 in the evening.  
  
"We have definitely improved," Kurama commented absently as they entered the gates to Konohagakure village.  
  
"I agree," Neji said, sending a small smile Kurama's way.  
  
They headed their separate ways to their homes and enjoyed being home. Even Neji.  
  
"Oh. So you're back," Kakashi said when Kurama walked in. The silver-haired jounin was, of course, reading the newest volume of Icha Icha Paradise.  
  
"Pathetic," Kurama muttered to himself, walking straight to his room. After changing out of his clothes, Kurama wrapped a towel around his waist and had a long relaxing shower to wash off all the grit that may have collected on his person. Once done his shower, he rewrapped the towel around his waist and went back to his room to gather up all his clothes from the trip. He washed them all and hung them up to dry in his room, hanging from a thing wire that he strung from the walls with kunai.  
  
Smiling at his handy-work, Kurama got started on cleaning his weights. Both sets. The ones he had bought, and the ones Gai gave him (which amounted to around 400 pounds at that point). Dragging around 1600 pounds of extra weight really took its toll on a person.  
  
Once done, he immediately collapsed on his bed and fell asleep instantly.  
  
The red lights of his alarm clock read 7:00 PM.  
  
Kurama slept until 10:00 the next day, surprised that Kakashi hadn't come in to wake him up. He enjoyed every bit of it, however, and got a well- deserved well-rested sleep for the first time in a LONG time.  
  
Sighing gently, Kurama pulled his lazy ass out of bed and got dressed with some complaints from his sore muscles. Even though he had the next two weeks off in preparation for the Chuunin Exam, that didn't mean that he didn't train. In fact, he trained harder.  
  
The first week Kurama did the same drills Gai had made them do, yet he increased the amount of each exercise by 10 each day. He ran twice as long, and finished the evening off with some jutsu and chakra control training. He had learned quite a few interesting jutsu during his time in Stone.  
  
The week before the exam began, Kurama spent completely recovering (yet he still wore the weights). He set up many dangerous traps around his room to prevent Kakashi from waking him up and slept till noon every day. He went to bed right after supper at 6. During the day he did nothing but read and relax.  
  
Soon the Chuunin Exam was around the corner, and Kurama met up with Gai and his team at their training site.  
  
"Here are the registration forms that you must fill out to participate in the Chuunin Selection Exam. Register and meet tomorrow at the registration building in room 301. Ciao!" Gai said excitedly and poofed out of existence.  
  
"Baka," Kurama muttered under his breath, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.  
  
"Why are you so tired?" Neji asked curiously.  
  
"I've been sleeping late every day this week, lazing about and recovering from our horrible training. I'm tired because I'm not used to getting up so early," Kurama said with a sheepish grin.  
  
The three of them left to go and get something to eat before they went to register. They ended up eating ramen at a ramen stall called 'Ichiraku', and enjoyed their meal.  
  
They registered after lunch and then went home with their farewells.  
  
The next day they met at the regular training spot.  
  
"Ready to go?" Kurama said with a calm and serious aura about him, slightly unnerving his two teammates.  
  
"Of course," Neji said, staring at Kurama's cool, calm, and collected appearance. Usually Kurama was much more open, but now he was as easy to read as a rock.  
  
"HAI!" Lee shouted excitedly, punching up at the air.  
  
Kurama shook his head slightly before leading his teammates away from the training site. They jumped from rooftop to rooftop with incredible agility and arrived at the administrative building within a minute. Or less.  
  
They went inside and searched for the room 301. They found it rather quickly, and found a crowd of students standing around the room with lost expressions on their faces.  
  
"What's going on?" Kurama calmly asked one of the genin.  
  
"Those two," the genin pointed at two rather rough looking older genin, "won't let anyone in."  
  
Kurama nodded his head and turned to look at his teammates.  
  
"We really shouldn't attract attention," Lee said, serious for once.  
  
"That has to be the first intelligent thing that I've ever heard come from your mouth," Neji replied with a smirk.  
  
Lee glared at Neji. However, Kurama placed his hand on Lee's shoulder and winked at the green beast. He whispered in Lee's ear.  
  
"That's his way of saying that he thinks you're right."  
  
Lee could only stare as Kurama smiled at him for the first time that day before his calm and calculative look.  
  
"Even though we shouldn't attract attention with our skill, I still think we should stand up to them," Lee said, walking forward before Kurama or Neji could say a thing.  
  
Lee tried to convince the older genin to let them by, but was pushed back onto his but with a punch.  
  
(Disclaimer: I am now almost completely 'word-for-word'ing this scenario from the translated version of Naruto supplied by ')  
  
"Ha! You plan to take the Chuunin Exam with that?!" one of the older genin said with a smirk. "You should quit now. You're just a little kid." The older genin had spiky hair and what looked like giant kunai on his back.  
  
The spiky guy's accomplice in crime contributed a "Yeah yeah."  
  
"Please, let us through," Kurama said with a deadly edge to his voice that caused shivers to go up many spines. Since when had Kurama been able to act so coldly cool?  
  
The spiky haired one only hit Kurama with the back of his hand.  
  
Kurama allowed himself to be hit and fall to the right. He held his cheek, pretending it hurt. However, spiky's hand probably hurt more.  
  
"Horrible..." someone in the crowd mumbled.  
  
"What did you say?" Spiky asked. "Listen. This is out of kindness." (A/N: changed the wording from 'This is our kindness') "The Chuunin Exam isn't easy... Even we have failed it three straight times. Those that take this exam and end up quiting as shinobi, those that die during the exam, we've seen it all," Spiky said. "And chuunin often become captains of military teams. The failure of a mission. The death of a comrade... That is all the captain's responsibility. Yet kids like you think you can pass?" Spiky said with a smirk. "We are just thinning out those that will fail anyway. What's wrong with that?"  
  
"I agree... But... You will let me pass through... And also remove this surrounding created with genjutsu," a cool Uchiha Sasuke said with a cocky smirk, his two teammates standing beside him. "I'm going to the third floor."  
  
"What's that guy talking about?"  
  
"I don't know..."  
  
"So you noticed..." the second genin said, his leaf headband forming a cover over his head.  
  
Sasuke only smirked in response.  
  
"Sakura, you must have noticed first, right?" Sasuke said to his pink- haired teammate.  
  
"Huh...?"  
  
"Your analytical ability and genjutsu know-how is the most improved on our team," Sasuke said with what some people might consider CLOSE to a smile.  
  
Sakura blushed and smiled, happy to have been praised by her idol and not be seen as entirely useless to the Uchiha prodigy. "Of course, I noticed it a while ago. Because this is the second floor."  
  
"Yup!" Naruto contributed as the genjutsu disappeared, revealing the room to be 201.  
  
"Hmm... not bad... But all you did was SEE THROUGH IT!!!" Spiky said, launching a kick at Sasuke.  
  
Sasuke responded in kind.  
  
The kicks were about to collide when Lee jumped in and caught each.  
  
'He's fast... He was able to see both kicks and slide himself in between? This is... He's completely different from the person that was getting knocked around earlier...!' Sakura thought to herself in shock.  
  
'Catching my kick with is hand... What's this chakra in his arms...?" Sasuke thought, bewildered, to himself.  
  
"Haa..." Lee breathed out.  
  
"Hey," Neji said. "What happened to the plan? You're the one who said we shouldn't draw attention to ourselves," Neji said with a frown.  
  
"Well..." Lee said, a blush on his face as he looked at Sakura. (A/N: End copying of script from narutochuushin) He was about to walk over when Kurama grabbed him from the back of his green spandex outfit and dragged him back.  
  
"This is not the time to flirt with pretty girls, Lee," Kurama said, his eyes calm as he stared down at Lee with a slightly disapproving look.  
  
Lee pouted.  
  
Sakura blushed when Kurama turned his cool green eyes to hers. His red hair framed his features beautifully, and his black outfit really drew out the colour. He was as hot as Sasuke, in Sakura's eyes, yet she would remain true to Sasuke (not that the black haired bastard would care, ne? Heyhey, don't bite my head off. I like him too, you know, I have nothing against Sasu-chan).  
  
"We are leaving, Lee. Pull yourself off the ground," Neji said coldly and walked away in the direction of the stairs.  
  
Kurama smiled beautifully and pulled Lee up. "No need to get sidetracked. Com on," he said, leading him away after dazzling the crowd with his beautiful smile.  
  
'Wow! He's hotter than Sasuke when he smiles!' Sakura thought with a blush.  
  
Once they arrived in 301, Kurama and his teammates picked a corner to hang out in and check out the competition.  
  
They ignored the rather loud and noisy entrance of team 7 (especially Naruto's rather loud exclamation that he'd kick all their asses) and waited for the first examiner to show up. However, something caught Kurama's eye.  
  
A man with silver hair pulled back in a pony tail and circular glasses had approached the group of leaf genin and was talking to them about not bringing so much attention to themselves. Afterwards, Kurama watched with curious eyes as the boy (whose name he had caught in conversation with his awesome hearing as Kabuto) showed the genin cards with information on leaf shinobi.  
  
To Kurama's irritation, they asked about their whole team as well as a sand- nin named 'Gaara'. Kurama was shocked when this 'Kabuto' had a shitload of information on him. It had everything from who he was staying with to his ability in ninjutsu, genjutsu, and taijutsu. To his relief, there was nothing about him having a bloodline ability.  
  
After that, Kabuto made an absent comment about sound nin being a small village and was attacked by a sound-nin who used some sort of attack to shatter Kabuto's glasses and cause him to puke.  
  
After the rather gruesome show, the first part of the Chuunin Selection Exam began when their examiner showed up.  
  
I made it pretty long since around a page of it wasn't my own. Hope you like it. **This may be the last chapter before I leave for my road-trip**. Reminder: won't be back till Sept. 10th. Nasty cliffy, no? Ciao!


	25. Chapter TwentyFive

**Kurama in Narutoland**  
.

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Chapter Twenty-Five:  
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After the rather gruesome show, the first part of the Chuunin Selection Exam began when their examiner showed up.  
  
With a bunch of other shinobi in a large poof of smoke...  
  
Kurama watched the show with an amused expression.  
  
(A/N: Disclaimer: copying text from scanlations posted on , none of it is mine till I say so)  
  
"Thanks for waiting..." a man with scars on his face said, the other shinobi standing behind him. "I am Morino Ibiki, the examiner for the chuunin selection exam's first test." He pointed a finger at the group of hidden sound that had attacked Kabuto and said, "Hidden sound guys, stop doing as you please before the exam. Do you want to fail already?"  
  
"I apologize... this is our first time... We got a bit carried away..." the sound-nin with bandages wrapped all over him said.  
  
"Here's a good opportunity to say this... There will be no fighting without permission of the examiner. Even if permission is granted, killing your opponent will not be tolerated. Those pigs that disobey me will be failed immediately. Do I make myself clear?" Ibiki said with a rather creepy expression.  
  
"Heh, this exam is sounding easy," the sound-nin with spiky hair said cockily to his teammates.  
  
"We will now start the first test in the Chuunin Exam. Instead of your current seating arrangements... you will pick one of these tabs and sit in the seat assigned to you. We will then hand out the exams," Ibiki said, holding up a tab with '1' on it.  
  
There was a pause of silence before Naruto burst out, "WHAT!?!! A PAPER TEST?!!!!?!!"  
  
(A/N: End of copying)  
  
Kurama stared at Naruto with a calm look. Paper test? That couldn't be too hard, right? Seems that the blond idiot didn't think so...  
  
After picking their tabs, they sat down in their seating arrangements. Kurama listened absently as Ibiki explained about the rules to the test. The first examiner explained that each shinobi would start off with ten points. The test was made up of ten questions and each is worth a point. The test used a subtraction system... Kurama quickly got bored. Basically, if a person got any wrong it would be subtracted from their total... To Kurama's surprise, Ibiki said next that it was a team test, and that the combined scores would decide if you passed or not. The next little bit caused Kurama to perk up instantly.  
  
"The third rule is that during the exam, anyone caught cheating will have 2 points subtracted for each offense."  
  
Kurama stared with slightly wide eyes at the examiner. Maybe it would be a little more interesting than he initially thought... 'So if a person is caught cheating, two points are subtracted... but what happens if you're not caught?' Kurama thought slyly to himself. It seemed that his experience as a thief was going to be of use AGAIN. Kurama tuned in again to catch the last bit.  
  
"...Be proud ninja."  
  
'Right,' Kurama thought sarcastically, 'Be a proud ninja WHO DOESN'T GET CAUGHT. That's the meaning behind your words, isn't it? Read between the lines... I wonder how many people will catch on to this?'  
  
"The final rule. Anyone that loses all their points during the test and anyone who doesn't answer any questions correctly... Will be failed along with their teammates."  
  
That caused Kurama to blink in thought. Would Lee and Neji be able to handle it? Neji of course would be able to, since he can see through solid objects... but how will Lee do? He knows no ninjutsu or genjutsu... Let's hope he can answer the questions.  
  
"The exam will last one hour. BEGIN!" Ibiki said.  
  
Kurama looked at the first question. It was a cryptograph. Looking it over carefully, he quickly answered the question and went on to number two.  
  
'Line B, seen in the picture, is the greatest possible distance shinobi can throw his shuriken from a tree of seven meters. For enemies who appear within the circumference of the shuriken's range, explain the attack options using this distance. Show your work.'  
  
Kurama stared at the question for a moment. 'This definitely affirms my suspicions that us genin are SUPPOSED to cheat. Very few here could answer these questions correctly... Oh well, time to get to work. It's not that hard... for me at least.' After answering the question, he continued on to number 3.  
  
Neji closed his eyes and left his paper untouched. He planned to wait until they had 20 minutes left to copy down all the answers from someone who was already finished. Five minutes after that the tenth question would be revealed. It was a piece of cake. He trusted that Kurama would be able to answer, and if he couldn't, then he'd be able to cheat easily.  
  
Lee frowned, staring down on his paper. He couldn't answer any of these questions, and since he didn't have any secret techniques that he could use to cheat, he was pretty stuck. How could he catch one of his teammates attention to help him out?  
  
Kurama quickly finished the test and laid his head down on his arms. He was bored. Frowning, Kurama closed his eyes and searched with his senses for Lee... He found a very confused and nervous wreck of his teammate trying frantically to think up an answer for at least one of the questions. 'So, Lee DOESN'T have book smarts. I'd better help him out then...' Focusing his chakra, Kurama made one of his seeds fall out of his hair and land on the ground. Lee was sitting a little ways behind Kurama, slightly to his right. Putting a little bit of chakra into the seed, Kurama made it grow enough that it could move around. He made the seed pull itself over to Lee and crawl up his clothes. Once it reached Lee's chest, Kurama made the vine grow slowly underneath Lee's clothes and out of sight.  
  
Lee jumped when he felt many strange somethings moving along his chest under his clothes. Taking a calming breath, he waited. Soon the strange string-like something had wrapped itself around his upper torso and was wrapping around his right arm. When it came to the edge of Lee's clothes, a tiny green thing poked out. Lee stared in wonder at what appeared to be a VINE. The little vine inconspicuously wrapped its way across the inside of Lee's hand, sticking on snugly. Lee relaxed his arm and pretended he knew what he was doing. 'It's probably Kurama. But what kind of jutsu is this?' Lee thought to himself as he watched his hand pick up the pencil and start writing down the answers in neat and delicate writing.  
  
Once Kurama was done copying all the answers to Lee's paper, he made his vine's ungrow at a quicker speed, snaking across Lee's skin, causing the green beast to shudder at the feeling.  
  
Soon the vine was just a seed once again, with a single little tendril poking out of it. Kurama made the seed return to him, and it climbed back up his leg and made its way to his hair. Once there, Kurama raised an arm to snag the seed and properly place it at the base of his hairs.  
  
Neji had watched the whole thing happen with shocked eyes. How in the world could Kurama do that? He HAD said something about plants being his forte, BUT THIS WAS REDICULOUS! Neji quickly copied down the answers of one of the chuunin that was hidden in the exam and made sure that Kurama had them all right. The redhead did, so Neji just closed his eyes again and waited for the tenth question.  
  
"Ok, we will now start the tenth question," Ibiki said out of the blue. "Now... before we get to it... I'd like to go over the added rules for this question."  
  
Kurama waited patiently for rules to be explained. Maybe he shouldn't have retracted that seed from Lee just yet...  
  
"I'll explain now, these are the rules of desperation..."  
  
'Enough with the suspense already...' Kurama thought absently to himself.  
  
"First, for the tenth question, you must decide whether you will take it or not." (A/N: everything that Ibiki says is copied from narutochuushin, I take no credit)  
  
"Choose?!! What happens if we choose not to?!!" a girl with dirty blond hair in four short pony tails exclaimed.  
  
"If you choose not to, your points will be reduced to zero... YOU FAIL! Along with your two teammates. And now, the other rule."  
  
Kurama resisted the urge to roll his eyes. During the time that Ibiki had been talking, he had rewrapped his seed around Lee, who had relaxed, knowing that Kurama was with him in more ways than one.  
  
"If you choose to take it... and answer incorrectly... That person will lose the right to ever take the chuunin selection exam again."  
  
That was surprising. Kurama's eyes widened slightly. Was that guy serious? Feeling Lee's determination through his aura, Kurama relaxed, knowing that his teammate wouldn't give up.  
  
"WHAT KIND OF STUPID RULE IS THAT?!! THERE ARE GUYS HERE WHO HAVE TAKEN THE EXAM BEFORE!!!" a boy with a dog on his head yelled, pointing a finger at Ibiki.  
  
Ibiki merely laughed and answered with a freaky look, "You guys were unlucky. This year it's my rules. But I am giving you a way out. Those that aren't confident can choose not to take it, and try again next year."  
  
That was a shocker.  
  
"Now, let's begin... the tenth question. Those that do not wish to take it, raise your hand. Once your number is confirmed, leave."  
  
A man stood up with his hand raised, announcing that he wouldn't take it. Kurama watched as one after another, many of the shinobi began to leave the exam room, taking their teammates with them.  
  
Kurama watched as the boy named Naruto from earlier raised his hand slowly... and then slammed it down on the table!  
  
(A/N: everything Naruto says here is not mine)  
  
"DON'T UNDERESTIMATE ME!!! I WILL NOT RUN!!!!" he shouted, a determined look on his face. "I'LL TAKE IT! Even if I am a genin forever! I'll will myself to becoming Hokage anyway, so I don't care! I AM NOT AFRAID!!"  
  
Kurama watched in amusement as steam was blown out of Naruto's nostrils. 'What an interesting guy... it would be nice to get to know him... Reminds me of Yusuke...' Kurama frowned when slight homesickness washed over him. 'My old friends and partners... I wonder how they're doing...'  
  
"I'll ask you again. You life is riding on this decision. This is your last chance to quit," Ibiki said.  
  
"I follow my unbending words... That's my ninja way..." Naruto said, a look of utter seriousness on his face.  
  
No one after that point was willing to give up, and 78 were left.  
  
"Good decisions. Now, to everyone still remaining... I CONGRATULATE YOU ON PASSING THE FIRST TEST!!!"  
  
Kurama facefaulted. 'WHAT THE HELL?!' Kurama listened as the first examiner explained everything, not really paying attention. Before he knew it, someone came flying in through the window, shattering it.  
  
"THIS IS NO TIME FOR CELEBRATING! I AM THE EXAMINER FOR THE SECOND TEST!! MITARASHI ANKO!! NOW LET'S GO!!" the woman who came through the window shouted.  
  
Kurama blinked at the crazy woman who made a very... interesting... entrance. 'This is our second examiner? Weird woman....'  
  
Everything after that was pretty uneventful. The Anko woman said something about cutting the surviver's numbers in half, but Kurama was unconcerned. They were lead out of the building to the place of the second exam.  
  
Anko explained to all of them the second exam and told them that when they got their earth or heaven scroll, they would also sign papers that said that if they died, it was not the responsibility of the hidden leaf. Or something like that. Kurama wasn't paying attention. He was absolutely BORED out of his mind.  
  
They lined up and received their scroll after they signed the form and were lead by a jounin to a gate into the Forest of Death.  
  
They waited for around half an hour before they were finally released inside the forest. Kurama lead the team a little ways in at a straight out run, before stopping once they were out of anyone's sight.  
  
"Now, we're going to have to make a plan," Kurama began, motioning his two teammates to form a circle, "We need to get an earth scroll, but how are we going to go about it? I think the best course of action is to wait it out until the last day, then we can hit a team while it's weak and tired from traveling and fighting. In the meantime we need to find a good shelter that we can hide out in and conserve our strength for the first four days. Neji, would you please do a search for shinobi?"  
  
Neji nodded his head and activated his Byakugan. He found that the two teams closest to them had shot ahead, trying to get to the center of the forest as quick as possible. If anything, they were the only ones in the whole area. "There is no one nearby, they have all traveled into the center of the forest. We are the only ones in this area so close to the gates."  
  
Kurama nodded his head and smiled. 'Perfect.' "Please search for a hide out that we can easily fortify for a temporary head quarters," Kurama ordered with that soft and calm voice of his.  
  
Neji immediately searched. To his surprise, he found absolutely nothing that could help them. "Nothing," he said with annoyance in his voice.  
  
Kurama looked thoughtful for a moment before asking, "Where is the biggest tree that is close to a water source?"  
  
Confused, Neji wondered why Kurama would ask such a thing while he looked. He found one a third a kilometer away with a large and sturdy trunk right beside a small creek. "Follow me," he said, running forward at a rather slow pace, considering how fast all of them could run after the training Gai put them through.  
  
Kurama smiled when he saw the tree. It was perfect. It would take10 adults to spread their arms around the trunk as a chain. Smirking slightly, he prepared to shock the wits out of his teammates. Focusing his tainted chakra, he used increadible concentration to make the tree expand slightly to acomidate a hollow space inside and prevent his sick chakra from killing the thing. After it was large enough, Kurama made the bark split so they could enter. Once he was done, he opened his eyes, breathing slightly heavier than before. 'This chakra is becoming irritating. It is so weak compared to my regular chakra, and I can't manipulate plants like I used to because I don't want the evil energy to kill the plants!! What a damn handicap!' Kurama raged to himself, rather pissed off that it took so much concentration and energy to do such a simple task.  
  
Pushing his teammates inside, Kurama eyed his handiwork. It had turned out quite well, although the floor wasn't perfectly even, it dipped slightly at the center. The 'ceiling' was just high enough for them to stand completely anywhere on the 'floor'. Exerting a bit of his evil chakra, Kurama closed the crevice behind them, and they were encased in darkness.  
  
"This is rather freaky, Kurama," Lee said uncomfortably. "There's no light at all..."  
  
Using a bit of his chakra, Kurama formed a light over his shoulder. Normally it would give off green light, considering his chakra's colour, but now it was blackish purple and gave of a purple glow. Looking irritated, Kurama glared at the light.  
  
"Why is your chakra black and purple?" Lee asked, staring at the ball of light with an uneasy look.  
  
"Because of my damned curse seal that Orochimaru gave me," Kurama said with a cold look on his face and rage colouring his tone.  
  
Lee gulped as Kurama revealed the curse seal to their eyes.  
  
"Now, let's not worry about that right now. We have things to do, like gathering food and keeping an eye on our surroundings so we are not attacked by surprise. Neji cannot keep his Byakugan activated forever without wasting all his chakra, and one of us will have to keep watch at night. I will keep watch at night, and you two can trade during the day while I rest inside." Kurama smiled absently and commented, "I'm becoming nocturnal," with amusement.  
  
Lee grinned at the comment and Neji only shook his head slightly. "Almost no one would be able to detect us in here, so Neji will just have to check with his Byakugan now and then while Lee can go out and check for traps and such now and then. It'll work. Since I'll be having night shifts, I'm going to bed. Would you two keep an eye out and search for food to sustain us for four days?" Kurama asked, not expecting objection.  
  
Of course he received no objection, and cracked the trunk open again to let them out. "When you're done, run your finger down the opening of the trunk in the shape of a sakura petal."  
  
They exited the trunk and watched as it creepily closed behind them again like a zipper.  
  
"That is really freakish," Lee commented softly, shuddering slightly.  
  
"I didn't know he could control plants. What about you?" Neji asked.  
  
Lee only shook his head and the two of them separated to look for food.  
  
The four days passed quickly, and the three of them camped out in the large trunk of the tree, having an abundance of food and not a single team within the area.  
  
Finally the fifth day had come, and the three of them packed up their things in preparation. They would find a weary team and take their heaven scroll. After that, they would head to the tower.

**ALERT FOR READERS:**

Well. **This is OFFICIALLY the last chapter before I leave**. I love you all and I'll miss you! I'll be back in September, remember, and I'll write another chapter then as soon as possible. Man, didn't I end it in the worst spot? (evil laugh) 


	26. Chapter TwentySix

**Kurama in Narutoland**

Chapter Twenty-Six:

Finally the fifth day had come, and the three of them packed up their things in preparation. They would find a weary team and take their heaven scroll. After that, they would head to the tower.

"The sun will rise within an hour or two. Neji, do you see any teams within your range?" Kurama asked when they stood outside their tree, things packed and all set to go.

Neji activated his Byakugan and searched.

In the meantime, Kurama did a search of his own. When he did so, he found two weakened chakra and one weary one, as well as three other dangerous chakra heading in their direction.

"I found nothing," Neji announced, deactivating his eyes.

Kurama was frowning, eyes narrowed dangerously as he sensed the dangerous chakras not far away from their victoms.

"Kurama?" Lee asked, wondering what Kurama was glaring at.

"We must hurry. I have a hunch that one of our konoha teams is in great danger. We will hit the closest team with a heaven scroll and rush to their aid," Kurama said, leaving no room for objection. He burst forward into the woods, doing a search as he ran for another weakened team. Finding one not too far away, Kurama lead his team in their direction. "Neji, right in front of us is a team. Do they have a heaven scroll?" Kurama asked, falling back slightly to be beside the white-eyed boy.

Neji activated his eyes and frowned, "I don't see them yet."

Kurama nodded his head in acceptance and said, "Let me know when you do."

After running at almost top speed for a few more seconds, Neji announced that they had found a weakened mist team with a heaven scroll.

Kurama smirked coldly, but his teammates didn't see it. It was time to relieve some of his frustrations over the curse seal. Feeling it react, Kurama cursed to himself and focused on forcing it back as he ran. It took longer than if he hadn't been running, but it was back to normal when they reached the Mist-nin. Kurama was the first to attack, and nailed one in the throat calmly with a kunai. The girl died instantly, choking on her own blood.

"What the hell?!" another mist-nin shouted before he was knocked out by Lee, who hit the back of his neck.

The remaining Mist-nin stared at Kurama in horror, who held the bloodied kunai calmly. "Unless you want a hole in your chest, hand over your heaven scroll," Kurama said in a calm and deadly voice that caused shivers to shoot down spines.

The Mist-nin glared and went to form seals. Kurama nailed him in the forehead with the bloodied kunai before he could finish the first seal.

Kurama surveyed the damage and stared at the mist-nin who was still alive. "I know you'd rather not kill, Lee, but you will have to eventually," Kurama said with a gentle expression.

Lee nodded his head, but didn't answer Kurama.

"Neji, would you please find the heaven scroll and hold on to it?" Kurama asked, retrieving his kunai and cleaning it on the clothes of the mist-nin.

Neji pulled it out of the pocket of the one Lee had knocked out and placed it in his pouch.

"Now, we must hurry to the aid of the ones I sensed," Kurama said softly, but just enough for his teammates to hear. The three took off, Kurama at the front, leading them. 'I hope we're not too late...' Kurama thought to himself with a gentle frown. 'I felt a burst of demonic chakra the other day, but didn't pursue it further. I have a feeling that this involves the user of that chakra... It felt like kitsune energy, strangely enough... Maybe there is another like me out there?'

It took a while but they soon arrived at the scene to find a sound-nin charging at a pink-haired girl. Lee jumped down to protect pinky before Kurama could do or say a thing.

"Sakura-chan, I will protect you with my life," Lee said after he ripped a root out of the ground to protect the girl, Sakura.

The attack of the sound-nin was stopped by the root, and the fight continued. Kurama examined the situation. It seemed that 'Sakura's teammates were down, for reasons unknown, and she was doing her damnedest to protect them. Lee was getting his ass kicked, although he was putting up a good fight, and was soon knocked unconscious. To Kurama's surprise, another leaf team showed up and helped out. A fat kid was called fat-ass by one of the sound-nin and got totally pissed off. Kurama smirked when the fat-ass, 'Chouji', attacked the one who called him fat-ass with much energy.

Blinking when he turned into a giant ball called 'meat-tank', Kurama chuckled at the absolute ludicrousy of the fight. Chouji had almost gotten a hit on the guy with holes in his hands when he was knocked down as well. His other two teammates did something rather strange... The blond fainted into the arms of the lazy ass after doing a strange set of seals and there seamed to be no effect... Until the girl on the sound-nin's team changed suddenly.

'Mind-control? Interesting jutsu... I wonder how she will use this to her advantage,' Kurama thought, enjoying the show with Neji. Whispering quietly, Kurama told Neji, "I may jump into the fight. You need not follow me unless you see fit, okay?"

The white-eyed boy just nodded his head, not taking his eyes away from the scene.

That was when the blond on the ground decided to wake up. (Note to all readers, I can't remember much of this section of the manga (as you realize by now with my lack of description) From this point on, I'm just going for it, screw if I'm right or wrong. Heh)

"Who the hell are they?" the blond asked intelligently.

"DUMB-ASS!" Sakura shouted, hitting the blond on the head.

"Ow! That hurt Sakura-chan," the blond whimpered, cradling his wounded scull in his hands.

Sakura and Naruto watched as Shikamaru dragged Ino's body off towards them. "Now what do we do?" Sakura asked softly, "We can't defeat them, without Sasuke..."

Naruto flinched at that, and turned his head away from Sakura. Hadn't he proved himself able to fight to Sakura yet? Why didn't she believe in his abilities? Growling, he stood up and pulled a few kunai from his hostler and charged at the enemy. He threw the kunai and formed quick seals. "KAGE BUSHIN NO JUTSU!" He shouted, creating 40 clones to help him attack the sound-nin girl, because she was the weakest link.

Sakura's eyes widened. 'SHIT! He doesn't know that Ino's in there!'

Shikamaru shouted out, "INO! GET OUT OF THERE!"

The girl's body slumped onto the ground, and Naruto froze. 'SHIT! Now I lost my advantage of a surprise attack!' Before he knew what was going on, a black and red blur shot out onto the battlefield and attacked Dosu, the one covered in bandages.

"BLONDY!" the blur shouted, attacking Dosu with quick movements, preventing him from attacking. "REGROUP WITH THE OTHERS!" Kurama ordered.

"NO!" Naruto shouted determinedly. "I'M NOT GIVING UP!"

Kurama froze to stare at the determined look in shock. However, that mistake cost him. Dosu attacked with his sound waves, aiming for Kurama's ears. Kurama's eyes widened in pain when the sound waves got his ears, barely stopping himself from screaming in pain. His overly sensitive ears hurt like a bit, and Kurama collapsed onto his knees in shock. When Dosu was about to attack again, Kurama used his chakra to create a barrier around him. The clash of hasty barrier and sound clashed, forming an explosion that sent the two flying apart. Kurama skid across the ground, eyes glazed over from the attack that had sent his mind reeling.

Neji frowned and jumped from his place in the trees to Kurama's side, surprising the others. Neji straddled Kurama's waist and promptly slapped him across the face, causing all eyes watching to widen.

Blinking, Kurama focused blurry eyes on Neji. "What the hell happened?" he asked in a wraspy voice.

"You formed a hasty barrier of chakra in front of you to protect you from the sound attack. An explosion resulted. Were you not aware of that?" Neji asked with a raised eyebrow.

Kurama frowned. "I must have done that unconsciously..."

Just then, Sakura's other teammate stood up and asked Sakura, "WHO HURT YOU?!"

All eyes turned to the Uchiha, who was presently covered in strange markings, his Sharingan eyes activated.

"WHO HURT YOU, SAKURA?!" the Uchiha shouted furiously.

"I did!" Zaku (that his name?) said with a smirk.

"ZAKU!" Dosu shouted in warning, not very comfortable about the situation. Orochimaru had ordered them to kill the Uchiha, yet it seemed that the snake had given the boy a curse seal, and had bestowed upon him great power. He DIDN'T want the furious boy to come after them!

Regardless of Dosu's warning, Zaku continued, "I did! And let me tell you, beating her around was fun!"

Sasuke was pissed, and showed his displeasure by glaring coldly at Zaku, who was smirking his cocky ass off.

Zaku's smirk widened as he sent a huge gust of wind in their direction out of the holes in his hands. Before Sasuke could move to get everyone out of the way, Kurama jumped right in the pathway of the blast, hands out in front of him. A blackish purple chakra formed a barrier in front of him, causing the attack to spit and swerve off to the sides.

"GET THEM OUT OF HERE!" Kurama ordered, not looking back.

Sasuke moved quickly, carrying his teammates as well as Ino's teammates instantly to safety on the other side of the clearing.

Kurama smiled wearily when they were all out of the way, including Neji. Releasing his hold on the chakra, the wind rushed over him, tearing up the ground and causing a huge explosion.

Neji's eyes, as well as all the others' (aside from Lee and Chouji, who were still unconscious), were wide with horror or surprise. When the dust clearled, Kurama lay unmoving on the ground and Zaku was laughing with a smirk.

"Kurama..." Neji whispered, horrified.

Kurama, to the shock of everyone, sat up slowly, his eyes hooded. Green leaf-like markings had spread over his body, causing Sasuke to gasp at the similarity to his own situation.

"Are you proud of those arms?" Kurama asked in a deadly voice, appearing behind Zaku. Snatching the arms, Kurama pulled them back and snapped them. Zaku screamed.

Dosu was next. Using his anger as a fuel, Kurama attacked Dosu and knocked him unconscious. When he was about to kill him, Someone snagged him from behind and held onto him.

"That's enough, Kurama," Neji said softly, worried about Kurama's mental health AGAIN.

Kurama froze and relaxed into Neji's hold instantly, surprising the white-eyed boy. "I'm tired," Kurama whined gently, leaning back onto Neji, who almost collapsed under the weight.

"Holy shit Kurama, how heavy are your goddamn weights?!" Neji asked incredulously.

Kurama was supporting himself again in an instant, blushing slightly. "Uh... THAT'S A SECRET!" He stumbled, blushing a cute red as he was caught off-guard.

Neji chuckled softly and lead Kurama back to the others.

"Do you see, Sasuke, what would have happened to you if you had been allowed to continue on that little rampage of yours?" Kurama asked, looking at Sasuke with weary eyes as he forced the curse seal back again. "You would have become a heartless killer, like I was for that moment. Blood-lust overtakes your mind as well as the darkness, and if you submit to it, it will eventually take over your mind and turn you into Orochimaru's servant. The first time it happened to me..." Kurama paused uncomfortably, "I stabbed a sword into Neji's stomach before I became conscious of what I was doing. He almost died," Kurama said solemnly, causing all eyes to widen and faces to pale.

"It hurt like a bitch," Neji said simply before he picked Lee off and jumped off into the woods with him.

"Think about that before you give in to the curse seal, Sasuke-san," Kurama said before following after Neji.

The group of genin stared after the team in shock and surprise. Sasuke mulled over Kurama's words, wondering what he would do...

"You should be more careful, Kurama," Neji said as they ran at an easy pace away from the group of genin.

Kurama turned to look at Neji. His eyes softened as he watched the Hyuuga's blank white eyes. Neji was honesty worried about him. Smiling softly, Kurama turned his attention back to running, and he whispered, "I will."

Having retrieved a heaven scroll, Kurama and Neji woke Lee up (dumped water on his face) and headed to the tower. They ran in to no trouble on the way (Kurama lead them around all enemy chakra, Neji helping) and were soon at the tower. They opened their two scrolls and threw them on to the ground when they revealed a summoning.

With a poof of smoke, Kakashi of all people appeared.

"I congradulate you on passing the second exam," Kakashi said lazily.

"Kakashi," Kurama said, shaking his head, "Isn't this an unpleasant surprise, ne?" Amusement coloured Kurama's tone as he spoke.

"Yes, isn't it?" Kakashi said with curved upward eyes.

Kurama rolled his eyes and gave Kakashi a push. "Moron," he muttered with good humor.

"THIS is Gai-sensei's rival?" Lee asked incredulously.

"Yes, he is," Neji said with emotionless eyes.

"It's good to see you again too, Neji," Kakashi said, eyes upturned.

"Hn," Neji said, eyes narrowed.

"Now, Kurama, we need to talk," Kakashi said, becoming serious.

Kurama blinked. "About what?"

"Gai told me that you have a curse seal from Orochimaru. Let me see," Kakashi said, eye serious for once.

Kurama shrugged and pulled back his shirt to reveal a green curse seal upon his creamy skin.

"I see," Kakashi said thoughtfully to himself.

"Uchiha Sasuke also received one yesterday. We assisted their team when a group of sound-nin attempted to kill them," Kurama said, eyes serious although calm.

Kakashi's eye widened slightly before it narrowed. "You are certain?"

Kurama nodded his head solemnly.

"I must speak to the Hokage about this. Kurama, how has the curse seal been when it activates itself?" Kakashi asked.

Kurama looked thoughtful. "Well, it's constantly an aching pain, and it burns when I think dark thoughts or feel dark emotions. Anger is a good example, or hatred. When it activates, it hinders me in battle. The only time it is of assistance is if I don't beat it back to the seal, which I do with my will... It is incredibly irritating," Kurama said, voice deadly. "My chakra is gone, replaced by this sick and disgusting purple chakra that kills plants when I try to manipulate them. I have to exercise an incredible amount of concentration to keep the plant alive while I use it. It is an endless irritation," Kurama said, letting his frustration show for the first time.

His teammates were surprised by this, as was Kakashi. They were even more surprised when the green markings spread across his skin again.

Kurama glared at the markings, then suddenly calmed his face and mind of emotion, and beat the curse seal back in an instant with his will. "To use your will to force back the curse seal," Kurama said, his eyes and face eerily clear of emotion, "One must control their emotions precisely."

Kakashi was surprised by the show of control Kurama just showed, and the fact that he calmed himself in an instant like that. "I shall report this to the Hokage. Go down those stairs to get to the meeting place," Kakashi said, disappearing in a puff of smoke.

Lee and Neji were watching Kurama, who blinked and asked, "What? Do I have something on my face?"

Neji shook his head and grabbed Kurama by the arm, dragging him along. Lee followed, and together, the team made their way to the meeting area.

Right now, ppl, I'm writing this on my newly fixed laptop at 'Bowren Lake' in this KAWAII little cabin (no, not the kind that's made of logs of wood). It's so nice here and the scenery is beautiful! I go kayaking every day [stars in eyes]. Well, that's that. When I upload this, it'll be way after the trip of course. [wink]


	27. Chapter TwentySeven

**Kurama in Narutoland**

Chapter Twenty-Seven:

All the teams had lined up in a small hall room, the Hokage as well as the jounin team leaders at the front. The Hokage gave his boring speech and soon it was announced that there would have to be preliminary rounds. This caused moans and complaints to come from some of the genin.

Their examiner, Hayate (who has to be coming down with the worst flu I have ever seen I tell ya), announced that their opponents would be picked by machine.

Kankuro vs. Kin Tsuchi

Kankuro smirked. 'Finally... my turn.' He made his way down to the arena from the waiting area with a confident smirk on his face.

Kin Tsuchi, the girl from sound, smirked at her opponent as well and made her way down.

When both were standing in the middle of the arena, Hayate began the match.

Kin (even tho it's her last name I'm calling her it) made the first move, throwing a medic needle at Kankuro, who effortlessly dodged.

"I'll end this quickly," Kankuro said with a confident smirk and removed the bandaged thing from his back.

Kin didn't waste another second and threw two more needles, this time with bells attached to each.

Kankuro dodged easily.

Another two were thrown, and Kankuro dodged again... but the needle that didn't have a bell on it struck him in the shoulder.

'Damnit! I was being careless, only paying attention to the one I heard!' Kankuro thought to himself, deciding to get serious.

Kin came up behind Kankuro and stabbed him in the back of the next at a vital spot. His body froze for a moment before collapsing. A gasp went up around the arena.

Hayate frowned. The kid was probably dead from that... He was about to announce Kin the winner when suddenly the corpse moved lightning fast and wrapped wooden arms around Kin and crushed her, causing her to cry out.

"My turn," the puppet said.

Kankuro unwrapped the bandages around him from where his 'puppet' had fallen (he was inside the bandages, not the puppet). "Give up if you don't want me to break your ribcage."

Kin growled to herself and cried out again in pain when Kankuro tightened the hold. "I... for... feit..." she squeezed out.

"Winner, Kankuro," Hayate said, coughing again.

Kankuro released the girl and went back up to his team in the waiting area.

"Next match..."

Zaku Abumi vs. Aburame Shino

(warning: this fight is a written out version of what really happened in the manga)

"Who the hell is this loser?" Zaku commented, while Shino remained silent.

"Um... Now we will begin the second match," Hayate said with a cough sneaked in.

Shino stood across from Zaku, whose arms were in a sling.

"Please begin."

There was a pause before Shino said, "If you fight here you will be finished. Forfeit."

"This one moves a bit... One arm is good against you!!" Zaku said with a crazy smirk. They traded verbal lashings and fists for a second before Zaku used the wholes in his hands to shoot out a blast of wind.

A huge cloud of smoke engulfed the two, and Zaku waited to see the results. He frowned when Shino stood up in the midst of the smoke. Zaku's eyes were wide as he saw the bugs come out of Shino's body and start healing the minor injury on his face.

(Getting bored. I'm quickening this. You all know what happens anyway.)

Fast-forward...

Zaku's arm blew off when he tried to use his hands, and he cried out in pain.

Shino had plugged the holes in his arms with bugs, and since the blast had to go somewhere, it blew his arms apart.

"Winner, Aburame Shino."

(end of copying)

Shino went back to teammates and was congratulated shyly by Hinata.

"Next match..."

Haruno Sakura vs. Yamanaka Ino

Sakura and Ino exchange a few blows. Ino cuts her hair and makes a connection to Sakura to keep her in place. Using her mind control technique, she takes over Sakura's mind and almost forces her to forfeit. Inner Sakura kicks her out and they stalemate with a final punch to eachother's faces.

"Draw. Next match..."

Uchiha Sasuke vs. Inuzuka Kiba (now this one I'm actually going to WRITE. You getting excited?)

Sasuke smirked as he made his way down to the arena, as did Kiba. They stood before eachother in the center of the floor, staring eachother down.

"You know I'm gonna kick yer ass," Kiba said with a cocky grin.

Sasuke only smirked. "In your wildest dreams, dog boy."

"Match begin," Hayate said, coughing a few more times at the end.

The two shot at eachother with kunai. A loud zing was heard when the clashed and slid against eachother. After a few more quick strikes, Sasuke pulled back and formed a few quick seals. Taking in a large breath, he called out, "KATON: GOUKAKYUU NO JUTSU!"

A huge flame ball erupted from Sasuke's mouth, heading straight for Kiba, who quickly dodged to the side and came back with an attack of his own. "JUUJUIN BUSHIN NO JUTSU!" Kiba shouted, and Akamaru turned into Kiba. Together, they began to spin in the direction of Sasuke. "GATSUUGA!"

Sasuke barely managed to dodge, and a huge gash was left in the ground where Kiba had attacked. Sasuke narrowed his eyes and thought it better NOT to go into taijutsu with the claws...

Now before you ask any questions, because Kurama's seal didn't react badly to chakra usage and it isn't sealed (Kakashi will seal sasu's later), I gave Sasuke the privilege of using his chakra. [Takes a bow] [hit with a rock thrown by fan] [rubs head]

Activating his sharingan, Sasuke tried to find any weakness in Kiba's attacks.

"GATSUUGA!" Kiba shouted, trying again.

Sasuke smoothly dropped a kunai win an few exploding tags on it to the ground behind him and jumped out of the way at the last moment to keep the kunai from view.

Kiba's eyes widened when he spotted the explosive tags he was one foot away from and a half a second away from hitting.

A huge explosion erupted from the far side of the arena, and when the smoke cleared, Kiba was unconscious and Akamaru was licking wounds (won't specify who's).

Sasuke smirked and made his way back to the waiting area. On the way, he grabbed at his neck but kept a straight expression.

"Winner, Uchiha Sasuke."

Kakashi noticed this and quickly took Sasuke away with him despite the boy's objections.

"Next match..."

Nara Shikamaru vs. Akimichi Chouji

The two boy's eyes widened. Wasn't that absolutely bizarre, two teammates fighting eachother this early on in the final exam.

Glancing at eachother, they smiled slightly.

"May the best one win, with the loser not too injured," Shikamaru said in his lazy drawl.

Chouji smiled, and together the two made their way down to the arena.

Standing across from eachother, they both mentally went over everything they knew about eachother, which was a lot. That's why the match would prove to be interesting...

"Begin." Cough.

Chouji formed a few quick seals and bloated up. "NIKUDAN SENSHA!" (meat tank) Chouji yelled, going into a fast roll at Shikamaru.

Shikamaru's eyes widened and he jumped out of the way, disappearing from view. Chouji quickly turned around and headed at Shikamaru again, who jumped again. An explosion occurred, where Shikamaru had left an exploding tag, and Chouji stopped spinning. That was just long enough for Shikamaru to use his technique and capture Chouji's shadow.

"Damn. That didn't last long," Chouji commented, and would have shrugged because he really didn't care. He was quite unmotivated, like Shikamaru.

Shikamaru asked lazily. "Do you forfeit?"

"Yeah yeah," Chouji said, and pulled out his chips when Shikamaru released him. He'd burnt quite a few calories, and needed to replenish.

Meanwhile, everyone else was sweatdropping at the pure laziness these two ninja portrayed so obviously.

"Uh..." Hayate said, watching the two friends walk away together. "Winner, Nara Shikamaru. Next match..."

Hyuuga Neji vs. Dosu Kinuta

The two ninja made their way to the arena and faced eachother.

"Match, begin."

Neji activated his Byakugan, but didn't make any other moves. Watching Dosu, he remembered the sound waves he used to attack the sound nin's opponent's ears. He also remembered that the bastard had hurt Kurama rather badly, and he wanted to kick the ass's ass for it. A cruel smirk crossed Neji's face as he got into the taijutsu form of his family.

Dosu watched Neji, and silently activated his arm to attack Neji's ears with sound. However, somehow the Hyuuga saw where the sound was, and easily dodged. Dosu's eyes widened as Neji disappeared from view and appeared behind him.

Using the taijutsu of konoha, Neji delivered a swift kick to the back of the sound's head, sending him flying across the room.

Kurama was surprised that Neji wasn't going to use his family's taijutsu. 'What is he up to?'

Neji stayed where he was, prepared for an attack from Dosu. It came, and he dodged the sound waves that were revealed to him by his eyes. They glided past him as he went in for the kill. Using lightening fast movements, he beat Dosu to a bloody pulp, easily dodging any resistance the sound had.

Orochimaru, who was dressed up as the sound-nin's instructor, thought to himself, 'Worthless pawns... And that Hyuuga brat is rather skilled...'

Neji nailed Dosu again on the back of the head and then decided to finish it. After all, he had more than got his revenge at that point. "You are within the range of my Hakke," he said, getting into form.

"Two hands."

Dosu tried desperately to dodge, but it was hopeless.

"Four hands."

"Eight hands."

"Sixteen hands."

"Thirty-two hands."

"Sixty-four hands."

Dosu was at that point unable to move, and ended up collapsing on the ground with numerous wounds and no chakra.

Neji walked away and back to his teammates, leaving behind the broken sound-nin.

"You looked like you were having fun in your own strange little way," Kurama said with amusement shinning in his eyes.

Neji only smirked and whispered in Kurama's ear. "It was, very, very fun."

Kurama blushed slightly at the smooth and suggestive tone in Neji's voice.

The Hyuuga chuckled slightly and turned to see the next match.

"The next match is..."

Uzumaki Naruto vs. Temari

_**NO UPDATES**_

As of September 5, I am physically unable to upload another chapter. F a n F i c t i o n . N e t has banned me from updates for violation of the 'duplicate post' rule until 09-11-04. I'm am sad that I cannot update for you, but I can't change this.

Thank you very much for reading this story and reviewing, I am grateful to all of my faithful readers. Check the date for a update, there MAY be more than one. I WILL be doing writing for the story, however, although I will not update it all at the same time. I WILL update everyday though when I can update again. It'll be like getting an episode, right? Chapter a day? Lol.

Thank you again! I luv you all and I'll miss you!


	28. Chapter TwentyEight

**Kurama in Narutoland**

ooo

Chapter Twenty-Eight:

ooo

Uzumaki Naruto vs. Temari

"YEAH! FINALLY I GET TO FIGHT!!" Naruto exclaimed, punching the air with a wild grin on his face.

This, of course, drew the eyes of many sweatdropping ninja.

Kurama raised an eyebrow and watched as Naruto jumped down onto the arena floor.

The girl, Temari, also made a rather flashy entrance, flying down on her fan.

The two stared at eachother, waiting for the match to begin.

"Begin."

Temari smirked and opened her fan until one star of three was showing. "Once I get to three stars, you'll wish you'd never been born."

Naruto only pulled down at an eye and stuck his tongue out at Temari in a rather rude fashion.

Temari glared and pulled back her fan. "KAMAITACHI!" she shouted, swinging her fan. Naruto flew back and connected rather nastily with the wall. Wincing slightly, he pulled himself out of his human-made dent and made a familiar seal.

"KAGE BUSHIN NO JUTSU!" Naruto shouted, forming ten clones. He sent half of them after Temari with kunai in their hands.

Temari frowned when the Narutos came at her form all directions. 'Damn, this kid actually has a brain.' Moving quickly, Temari closed her fan and used it to spin in a circle and nail all the Narutos across the side of the head. They immediately dissipated into smoke with a poof.

Naruto frowned. That wouldn't work. He'd have to try harder than that. Taking a kunai into his hand, the remaining clones and him charged her again, but this time Naruto had a different plan. When Temari went to use Kamaitachi again, Naruto jumped up into the air above her and pushed off the ceiling to come down on top of her while she was preoccupied with the other clones.

The last clone disappeared as Naruto was about to connect. Using quick motions, he threw three kunai surrounding Temari with explosive tags on them.

Temari's eyes widened and she berated herself for getting sidetracked from the real Naruto. The tags went boom and a huge cloud of particles floated up, obscuring what was happening inside.

Naruto smirked at his handiwork.

The smirk was quickly wiped off his face when he spotted Temari come out of the smoke with a slight limp and a few light burns. Getting quite angry, she opened her fan the whole way and yelled out, "KAMAITACHI!"

Naruto was, once again, sent flying back into the wall. This time, however, he took longer to crawl back out. The hole was deeper.

Temari smirked and sent another wave of fierce wind at Naruto. "KAMAITACHI!"

Naruto, in that instant, got a flash of brilliance. Smirking widely, he formed the seals for kawarimi no jutsu as the wind was just about to hit him.

Naruto replaced himself with Temari's FAN!

The blond girl was shocked, but didn't have much time to react before Naruto punched her in the gut, hard, and then sent her flying backwards into the wall with a swift kick. She was out cold, her fan on the other side of the arena.

"Winner, Uzumaki coff Naruto."

Kankuro went down to the arena to grab Temari and her fan and take her back up to the waiting area. She wasn't hurt that badly, just slightly bruised in the stomach, most likely.

"And the next match is..."

Hyuuga Hinata vs. Gaara

What a freakin shocker. The reactions were instantaneous. Shock, bewilderment, and slight apprehension. Poor Hinata was going up against a blood thirsty killer.

Hinata took a deep breath and tried to calm her horrible nerves.

'If you think you need to, Hinata,' Kurenai thought to herself, 'then forfeit instead of getting yourself killed.'

Gaara appeared instantly down in the arena, waiting for his opponent.

Hinata went to make her way down when she was intercepted by Kurama.

Leaning down, Kurama whispered in her ear, "Although I don't know you very well, you deserve a fair warning. This Gaara is dangerous. If at any point during the match you feel that your life is threatened, then forfeit immediately or you may suffer a horrible fate. Have courage." Kurama left Hinata standing there with wide fearful eyes, and went back to stand with Neji again.

"What did you tell her?" Neji asked, a sour note in his voice.

"I warned her of him. That is all Neji. Do not be so hard on her, you are her cousin after all, and from what I've seen, she does not get much encouragement from her father. She has no courage, and is a timid creature. Be gentle and push her along in the right direction. Help her to gain confidence," Kurama said, smiling at Neji, who had glaring emotionless eyes

Kurama sighed and said, "All I ask is that you give her a chance. She's not THAT bad."

Neji glared and kept his arguments to himself. Turning his eyes to the arena, he watched his cousin make her way to the center of the floor, legs trembling obviously.

"Begin the match."

Gaara formed a few seals and created a bushin of sand to attack Hinata.

Hinata dodged with shaky legs, not doing well at all.

"YOU CAN DO IT HINATA! BELIVE IN YOURSELF!" Naruto shouted from the waiting area.

Hinata's eyes widened and for that split second she turned to look at Naruto, who had a determined look on his face that encouraged her. Confidence boosted, she activated her Byakugan and went into the Hyuuga taijutsu stance. Running forward, she smoothly dodged the majority of sand attacks, although a few cut her here and there. Soon she was close to Gaara, and she searched hard with her eyes to see Gaara's tenketsu. To her absolute shock, she saw them, and closed a few of them in his arms before he hit her away with his sand.

Hinata went crashing across the floor of the arena and came to a halt not far from the wall. Sitting up, she shook her head of dizziness and uneasily stood up. Frowning, she looked with her Byakugan and noticed that some of Gaara's tenketsu were really closed. She smiled at this small victory, although it came with quite a price. Not wanting to give up, she ran at Gaara and tried to get through his defenses again. She managed to get pretty close before she was hit back again.

Pausing, Hinata thought over a plan. Did she think she could do Hakke Rokujuu Honshou (sixty-four point hands). She knew 'how' to do it, yet she had never been able to do it before... Summing up her courage, she narrowed her eyes further and smiled slightly at the encouragements that Naruto was yelling now and then.

Taking a deep calming breath, Hinata went over the technique in her mind and prepared herself to try to do it... 'No, I'm GOING to do it,' she corrected in her mind. Knowing what to do, Hinata ran forward a ways until she was just out of Gaara's danger zone and stopped.

The bloody-haired boy was currently waiting to see what his weak opponent would do, and wanted to play with her for a little while.

Summoning up her chakra, Hinata also called forth the part of her mind that she laid all her problems on. Calling that buried anger to her at the way her father treated her, the way her younger sister was going to be the heir, how she was practically disowned by her father. All that buried anger came forth in a tidal wave, and Hinata focused back on the present with a new view on things.

Speaking in a loud and clear voice that none had heard before, causing eyes to widen, Hinata said, "You are within the range of my Hakke." Sending chakra to her legs, she burst forward and rather impressive speeds, bypassing all of Gaara's sand and going in for the kill. She could see the tenketsu. She could actually see them!

"Two hands, four hands, eight hands, sixteen hands, thirty-two hands, sixty-four hands!"

When she was done, Hinata slowed down, which proved to be a mistake. Gaara's sand, which was still moving to the shock of both Neji and Hinata, hit her hard away from Gaara, sending her crashing into the wall, leaving a slight dent.

"Impossible..." she said, slipping into unconsciousness as she slid down the wall.

"Winner, Gaara."

A group of medic-nins ran and put Hinata on a stretcher and took her away.

Kurama looked thoughtful as he watched her go. "That was very brave of her. She overcame her fear and shyness. Could she always do that Hakke attack?"

Neji shook his head, eyes still slightly wide from the battle. "No... she was entirely unable to see tenketsu at all. She was useless as a Hyuuga, and her father was not pleased with her. In fact, her younger sister is taking over role as heiress because Hinata is incompetent... or WAS incompetent..." Neji said thoughtfully.

Kurama nodded his head and did a mental tally of who had fought. His eyes widened when he realized who was next.

"Next match..."

Minamino Kurama vs. Rock Lee

Kurama and Lee turned to look at eachother, excitement shining in the green beast of konoha's eyes.

"YES!" he shouted, giving the thumbs up to Gai, who returned them.

"That makes two matches with teammates against eachother. How unusual," Kurama commented softly.

The two made their way down to the arena and stood across from eachother.

"Let the match begin," Hayate said, coughing.

Lee immediately launched himself at Kurama at high speeds. Throwing a fist, he was surprised when it connected with Kurama's face and sent him flying into the wall, cracking the stone like a spider-web design. "YEOW!" Lee shouted, blowing on his fist. "Now I know what Kyo meant by your face being as hard as metal! What kind of milk do you drink?"

Kurama let himself slide to the ground and chuckled. "Actually, I'm not that big of a fan of milk."

"Really?" Lee asked, grinning as he slipped into Gai's taijutsu stance and prepared himself for Kurama.

Kurama was standing by the wall one second and in Lee's face the next. Sending out a fist, Kurama serenely fought Lee with the grace of water. It didn't even look like fighting, it looked like a dance with one experienced partner and the other just doing the moves so they worked well enough without needing to be graceful.

The two of them crashed fists for a while before beginning to use their feet. Kurama kicked out at Lee's stomach, but the boy turned sideways and grabbed the leg. Spinning quickly, Lee sent Kurama flying into the wall.

Kurama quickly pulled himself out of the dent his body had created. "That's the third time you've thrown me into the wall. I think it's about time you did," Kurama said with a smirk. Moving quicker than most genin could even see, Kurama nailed Lee in the chest and sent him almost through the wall.

"Ouch," Lee said, stone crumbling around him as he winced and pulled himself out. "You've got a kick. Wow," Lee said good naturedly, although he was starting to feel it now. 'How does Kurama go flying into walls and coming back without a bruise at all?'

The truth is, since Kurama has that strange weight on his back and front, it digs in and hurts like a bitch.

-Master need help?- Shinrin asked. (Don't even ASK why I keep forgetting about him, I'm NOT going to answer.)

-Ah... no, Shinrin. Why don't you go keep Neji company?-

-Okay Master!-

The little bit of silver crawled out of Kurama's hair and jumped from there onto Neji's shoulder (that was a long jump ppl). To say the least, people were surprised and wondering what the hell the silver blur was.

Lee ran at Kurama, but before he quite reached him, he disappeared and reappeared behind him. Lee kicked Kurama in the center of his back, sending the red haired boy stumbling away, wincing.

'That REALLY fucking hurt...' Kurama thought to himself. 'He kicked the WEIGHT. THE FREAKIN WEIGHT! That damn thing jabbed into my back and... DAMN, that hurt.'

Lee swallowed when he saw the look of revenge in Kurama's eyes.

Kurama disappeared from view, and the next thing Lee knew, he was being slammed around quite harshly.

Eventually the two pulled away, both breathing a little harder than before. Lee turned to look at Gai, asking for permission.

Gai nodded his head.

Lee grinned and got ready for Omote Renge (Initial Lotus). Unwrapping the bandages on his arms, Lee released the First Gate. Next, he ran at Kurama with incredible speed and kicked his jaw upwards from below. Kurama went flying into the air with wide eyes. Then next thing he knew, Lee had wrapped him up in bandages, and they were both flying towards the ground at an alarming rate.

"OMOTE RENGE!"

YAY!!! **I CAN UPDATE AGAIN**!!! Thank you all very much for being so patient, and I really appreciate all the support!!!!!!


	29. Chapter TwentyNine

**Kurama in Narutoland**

Chapter Twenty-Nine:

"OMOTE RENGE!" Lee called out, and they impacted on the ground with a huge crash.

Lee slowly pulled himself away from Kurama, who lay motionless on the ground. "Did I win?" he asked himself.

Hayate was about to say that Lee was the winner when Kurama twitched and began to slowly stand.

Kurama's eyes were shadowed as he stood and turned to face Lee. 'Thatâ€ reallyâ€ hurt'

Lee watched as Kurama reached into his hair and pulled out what seemed to be a blade of grass.

Exercising incredible control over his evil chakra to keep it from killing the plant, Kurama turned the grass into a long and sharp sword.

Lee's eyes widened, as did everyone else's in the room. Moving lightening fast, Kurama attacked Lee.

Lee dodged the sword to the right and tried to curve around to Kurama's back. The redhead was faster than that, though, and Turned around quickly to slash at Lee. Lee sustained a cut across his cheek from his close dodge backwards.

Kurama followed Lee and stabbed him in the shoulder. Letting go of the blade, Kurama smirked. He had him. Using his chakra, he made the blade of grass grow quickly to encompass Lee's whole body except his face.

Lee's eyes widened as he stared down at his immobile body. Looking to Gai, he saw him nod his head. Using sheer force of power, Lee ripped through the grass and jumped back a ways.

Kurama's brow furrowed when he saw this. When Lee sat down and started taking off his weights, Kurama raised an eyebrow. 'So he wants to take the fight to the next level?' Kneeling, Kurama also took off his weightsâ€ well, the ones that GAI gave him. Throwing them to the side with ease, he stretched and cracked his spine and neck.

Lee threw his weights to the side and got back into taijutsu stance, as did his adversary.

They stared eachother down for a while before Lee made the first move. Bursting forward with speed even faster than before, Lee smirked. Attacking Kurama with many kicks, Lee frowned when Kurama was still able to keep up with him, although the redhead was slightly slower. 'When did he get this fast? How much has he been increasing his weights?' Lee thought to himself.

Kurama frowned slightly. The fighting was getting irritating, really, and boring. He just wanted to get this over with and take a long nap. He hadn't had a good amount of sleep since he had been blasted by that bastard Zaku. And that 'Omote Renge' had HURT like a bitch. He was sore all over, and the weights he hid on his body were starting to slow him down. Lee was gaining an advantage over him, but Kurama wouldn't let him win.

Lee's eyes widened when Kurama suddenly kicked him away.

Kurama's curse seal chose that moment to react, and Kurama's eyes widened as he grabbed at his neck. 'Why does it hurt so much more than usual? It's stronger nowâ€ when did that happen? Why? How?' Kurama thought to himself, trying to force the curse back as the green leaf-like markings made their way across his face for all to see.

Sarutobi's eyes widened, as did Anko's, when they saw the markings. "When did Kurama" he muttered to himself.

Orochimaru's eyes widened in pleasure. The boy would have made a perfect body, if it had not been the sharingan he was after. He noticed that the boy was having trouble controlling the seal.

Lee was warring with himself. He knew that in a real battle, he should have attacked Kurama while he was weak, even though it wasn't very honorable. He didn't know what to do since this was just a preliminaryâ€ Frowning and mind set, he mentally apologized to Kurama. 'I'm sorry' Lee ran forward and started delivering many blows to a weakened Kurama, planning on finishing the match.

Pain. Kurama felt much pain, and Lee wasn't helping, hurting him so much physically. With so many distractions, Kurama couldn't concentrate enough to force back the strengthening curse seal.

Lee punched Kurama in the chest and winced when his fist hit a metal plate. His eyes widened when another thought occurred to him, 'Is he wearing even more weights?' Doubling his efforts, Lee knocked Kurama back. Delivering a strong kick to his stomach, he sent Kurama flying back into the wall. Again.

Kurama sighed in relief when the attacking stopped for a moment, although he was one big bloody bruise, focusing his mind, he tried to force the seal back. To his shock, it wouldn't recede, like it had previous times so easily. 'Couldâ€ could Orochimaru be here? Could that be the reason it has become so much stronger?' he thought to himself, pained. Grunting, he pulled himself out of the wall, his youko instincts QUITE angry with the seal that so held him back.

Orochimaru's eyes widened when he saw Kurama's forehead start glowing, the bangs lifting to reveal a glowing red shape. If one had looked closely, they would have seen the shape look like an angry fox.

The green markings of the curse seal on Kurama's forehead looked like they were being eaten away by the red symbol that was slowly turning into a brilliant gold colour. Tentrils of gold and green leaked off of Kurama's form, and the green designs on his body quickly receded to the curse seal marking, which glowed an angry purple.

Kurama smiled when he felt the comforting warmth of his youki and chakra. Reaching into his hair, Kurama pulled out a blood red rose and turned it into the rose whip with a flick of his wrist. Petals flew across room in a beautiful display of tranquility.

Lee jumped back when Kurama came at him with incredible speed. Before he knew what had happened, he was completely wrapped up in the spiky whip which dug hole in his skin, completely disabling him.

"The match is over, Lee. Forfeit, or I will cause your body more damage than I already have," Kurama said, half in the voice of the youko and in his human voice, which sounded quite odd together. Flecks of gold had entered his emerald irises as well, and Kurama relished in the feeling of his natural power.

"The match is over. Winner, Kurama," Hayate said after a moment.

Kurama immediately released the whip and changed it back into a rose then a seed in an instant and placed it in his hair once again.

"That was a good fight, Kurama," Lee said with a smile before he collapsed to the ground from all the holes in his body.

Medic-nins rushed out onto the arena to take Lee away.

Kurama smiled and reluctantly sent his chakra and youki back to his forehead to prevent it from being tainted by the angry curse seal. His bangs drifted back down to cover his forehead as the marking faded to red, then blinked out to black. With the energy no longer fighting for dominance, the curse seal tried to take over again, but Kurama forced it back with ease after being mostly healed of injuries because of his youki. 'That was a tough match,' he thought to himself as he made his way back to his teammate and sensei.

Orochimaru frowned. What was that energy that Kurama had released? HOW had the boy released it? He needed to find out and eliminate it as soon as possible, else the redhead would not become his servant. Orochimaru smiled cruelly as he thought up a plan

"That ends the preliminary rounds. The final exam will occur exactly one month from today. Train hard to become chuunin," the Third said.

oOoOoOoOo

Kurama sighed as he removed his dirty Chinese outfit. It really was filthy, as was the rest of him, after the long second exam and prelims. Throwing the filthy pile off cloth to the side, Kurama started the painful process of removing his weights. After removing everything but his chest and back plate, Kurama winced. Removing the metal that had been almost permanently set into his skin would hurt like a bitch.

Taking a deep breath, Kurama undid the straps and sweatdropped when the weights stayed on with nothing to hold them up. 'Wowâ€ they're stuck in rather far' he thought so himself, grabbing the plate on the front and pulling it off with a jerk. A low his of pain escaped his lips as he dropped the heavy weight onto his futon. If he'd dropped it onto the floor, a dent would have been made, and Kurama didn't have the time to pay for the damage at the moment.

Reaching back, Kurama winced when he lightly touched the weight. This one was jammed in far more efficiently in the place right below his two shoulder blades. Taking it into his hands, he pulled. It didn't come out, and caused him terrible pain.

Collapsing onto the ground, Kurama squeezed his eyes shut and gathered his resolve. Reaching back again, he ripped it off, holding back a scream. Letting it fall the short distance to the ground, he ignored the loud thump that the weight made.

Groaning, Kurama crawled over to his futon and slipped under the covers. Laying down on his stomach, he fell asleep instantly.

oOoOoOoOo

Kurama slowly opened his eyes to meet the shining sun. Grumbling a few curses under his breath at the overly cheerful source of light, he pulled himself out of bed with a hiss at his injuries. Looking down on himself, he saw not only the dent in his chest had filed out some and was completely bruised a dark purple, but there were also many other half-healed bruises all over his body from Lee's punches and kicks. On the bright side, his youki had partly healed them and they didn't hurt as much as they should.

A low groan escaped from him as he pulled himself out of bed and went to have a shower without even putting on any thing for the trip to the bathroom. He vaguely remembered seeing a wide-eyed Kakashi staring at him, but that wasn't important at the moment. What was important was that he had a nice, long, relaxing shower to sooth his sore body.

Turning on the water, Kurama made sure it was a just the right temperature before pulling himself into the shower. Sitting down in the middle of the spray, he relaxed his muscles and tried to ignore the aches and pains that covered his whole body. Lee really did an excellent job of putting him out of commission for a while. And since Kurama didn't have his youki to heal him quicker than normal, he was stuck healing at human speeds.

Cursing under his breath, Kurama pulled himself up and started washing his hair and gently washing his body. Once he was done, he sighed in relief at the feeling of cleanliness as he turned off the water. Grabbing a towel, he gave himself a rub down and then hung the wet thing up to dry.

Gazing at himself in the mirror, Kurama winced at how terrible he looked. Yellowish brown bruises were all over his body, and his chest and back were one big purple bruise, and looked horrible. The dent on his back had almost completely filled out during the night, and all that was left was purple.

Sighing softly, Kurama grabbed a dry towel and wrapped it around his waist. Opening the door, he exited the bathroom only to hear the doorbell ring. Frowning when he saw no Kakashi going to answer the door, Kurama sighed and walked towards it. Once he was there, he opened the door in a smooth motion with half-lidded eyes.

He was met with his team, who blinked before their eyes widened.

Kurama looked down on himself and kept the calm look upon his face. They had quite obviously seen his half nudity as well as the many bruises littering his body, as well as the mega bruise on his chest.

"May I help you?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

Gai blinked before stating, "We came to check on you"

Neji and Lee were still staring at Kurama's chest and the huge foot by foot purple bruise on it.

"Indeed," Kurama said, his brain not entirely working properly that morning.

Neji rolled his eyes, pushed Kurama inside and turned the boy around. After doing so, he forcefully led Kurama to his room, shutting the door behind him.

Gai and Lee remained at the door, blinking at the scene.

Kurama blinked as Neji turned him around with serious eyes. "What caused those two bruises?"

Blinking again, the Minamino drawled, "Isn't it obvious?"

Neji made an impatient growl and forcefully pressed Kurama against the wall. "No it's not obvious, Kurama, so please, enlighten me," he said sarcastically.

Kurama sighed a long suffering sigh and dropped his towel, causing Neji to back of with wide eyes and cheeks tinged pink. Walking over to his dresser, Kurama expertly hid his secret weights (which were discarded by the futon) with his comforter. Pulling out a casual black shirt and pants, he slipped on some black boxers before pulling on his clothes. After doing so, he walked back over to Neji, pushed him out of the room, and went to the kitchen.

Being the expert at everything Kurama is, and as vain as he isâ€ Anyway, being the great thief that Kurama is coughs, he managed to get Neji to completely forget about the question by sneaking in a lick on his neck when Lee and Gai weren't looking.

Wellâ€ I guess that didn't really include being a master thiefâ€ soâ€ being a master SEDUCIST, Kuramaâ€ wellâ€ you get the point already.

"Why don't we all go for lunch? Gai's treat," Kurama said smoothly, and Lee cheered while Gai just 'jaw-dropped'. Heh. Kurama smirked as he pushed everyone out of Kakashi's house and lead them all to a great restaurant he'd found a while ago.

And so the distraction worked really well, and Kurama managed to keep them completely occupied. Then, without warning, he said that he was going off to train and left them there with a puff of smoke.

Kurama sighed as he looked around himself. He really needed to learn some more jutsuâ€ and that's what he was going to do. Around him were rows upon rows of scrolls and books. They really were a wonderful sightâ€ had his chest and back not been hurting so much that he wanted to go on a fucking rampage. Lee kicking that metal plate into his chest was definitely NOT the best thing in the world to happen to him. Picking up a scroll on fire jutsu, Kurama started reading through the basics.

Later on that night Kurama decided to finally go to bed. He'd been memorizing jutsu all evening, and was quite confident that he knew enough about them to get them to work. All he needed to do now was try them all out tomorrow to make sure they'd work.

After arriving at home and greeting Kakashi, who was reading Come Come Violence at the moment, Kurama had a nice long shower and went straight to bed.

The next morning, to Kurama's relief, his bruise wasn't as sore, and seemed to be healing quite nicely (although it was still healing at slow human rates).

As Kurama sat up, he groaned. His body was sore as hell, and the muscles were horribly tight from over use. Getting a brilliant idea

He decided to go to the hotsprings!!

I'd like to know your opinions for this next little bit of fun:

1) Kurama will go with Naruto and Jiraiya for the heck of it.

2) Kurama meets Gaara one day training. You can pick a lemon or mental battle for this one, I'm feeling lenient to you fans. Grins

3) The Kurama/Neji rated R lemon you've been waiting for. Yes, R, that means no really deep stuff. Sucks, don't it? But I don't want this story deleted so too bad fer you.

4) Orâ€ I ignore the whole Tsunade episode and write many boring chapters of Kurama doing nothing in particular.

Vote for what you want. HOWEVER!! I will only CONSIDER what the vote brings. Even if, for instance, number 3 wins, I might not use it. I'm just seeing what you all think.

Ciao! Luv ya all!


	30. Chapter Thirty

**Kurama in Narutoland**

oOo

Chapter Thirty:

oOo

**GAARA/KURAMA LEMON**: h t t p : a d u l t f a n . n e x c e s s . n e t / a f f / s t o r y . p h p ? n o 3 5 8 6 0 and gomen ne for the spaces in-between the address, but I was having troubles uploading it properly.

_The Neji/Kurama lemon will be arriving soon. Well... when I feel like giving you all a break insert smirk._

Kurama was on his way to the hotsprings. It would be the best way to relax his tired muscles after all that fighting during the second part of the Chuunin exam.

However, his plans were disrupted when Kakashi appeared as he was just about to go out the door.

"Hokage-sama requests to see you," Kakashi said lazily, hands in pockets.

Kurama sighed and walked back to his room to ditch his bathing stuff. There when that flipping idea out the window.

"What about?" Kurama asked calmly with half-lidded eyes.

Kakashi shrugged. "How should I know?"

Rolling his eyes, Kurama left the house and jumped to the rooftops. 'What could he possibly want?' he wondered absently to himself as he shot from roof-top to roof-top.

In no time at all he arrived, landing on the balcony with no sound whatsoever. Walking through the doorway, he blinked when he was grabbed from behind, a kunai to his throat.

Kurama was completely relaxed and composed within the harsh grip, waiting for the one behind him to make the first move.

"Release him, it's all right," the Third said, sitting at his desk, puffing away on his pipe.

The ANBU behind Kurama released the calm boy and watched as the redhead walked to the Hokage's desk.

"You wished to speak with me, Hokage-sama?" Kurama asked in a smooth voice, no expression portrayed on his face.

Sarutobi nodded his head and motioned for the ANBU to leave the room. After they did, he turned his attention to the one he hadn't seen since his arrival almost half a year ago. "Something has come up that will concern you in the near future," Sarutobi said, taking a long drag on his pipe. "The one called Orochimaru, who gave you that curse seal, is at large, and is out to kill me," he stated calmly with the weary look of an aged man.

Kurama blinked. That was something he hadn't heard yet.

"And so, since I may die during the Final Exam or afterwards, I need to ask you a question," the Third paused, watching Kurama's non-existant reaction, "If I die, will you pledge allegiance to the next Hokage as you did me?"

Kurama stared at the Third. He may die? That hadn't occurred to him before. "I will do whatever you wish, Hokage-sama, I am your tool to use or destroy," Kurama said calmly.

The Third was surprised. Oh, he knew that Kurama was far older than he seemed, and had lived the life of a demon for many years, but this maturity he had not expected to this level. "Yes, that is true, however, a dead man's word means nothing," Sarutobi said, his expression turning dangerous.

Kurama blinked slowly before lowering his head and saying calmly, "I will serve the Hokage as his or her tool for the rest of my life, Hokage-sama, regardless of who that is."

Sarutobi smiled and relaxed back into his chair. "Ah, that is good. Oh, and Jiraiya, you can come out now."

Kurama blinked as a man with strange markings on his face appeared out of the shadows with a grin. "It's good to see you again too, Sarutobi-sensei."

'Sensei?' Kurama thought incredulously to himself. 'Interesting...'

"Jiraiya, I have a favor to ask of you."

Jiraiya raised an eyebrow and waited for the old man to continue.

"Like I said before, I will most likely die soon. I'm sure you don't wish to be the Hokage, so you should go in search for Tsunade to be the new Hokage after the Chuunin Final Exam. Take Naruto with you, and train him during the trip. However, the favor that I ask of you, is that you take Kurama with you and train him as well."

"WHA?!" Jiraiya shouted, his expression the wide-eyed toothy 'wtf' look from the manga.

Kurama snickered behind a hand and smirked.

"YOU WANT ME TO TRAIN _ANOTHER_ BRAT?!!"

"Kurama is not a brat. As far as I'm concerned, he IS a chuunin, or above that level. He is quite capable of following orders without question as well, so don't you go complaining to me that he's a brat," Sarutobi said calmly as if he dealt with Jiraiya acting like an idiot every day.

Kurama at that point was laughing softly, his eyes holding a warm twinkle. Speaking softly, he asked with an amusedly raised eyebrow, "Why don't you start bitching AFTER I make your life a living hell?"

Jiraiya blinked and stared at Kurama with a dumb look on his face. (Isn't it incredible how much he and Naruto resemble eachother?? O.O)

Sarutobi shook his head. "Aren't you acting more your age today," he commented lamely.

Kurama only smirked with his arms crossed before taking a bow. "Thank you very much, I'm here 'till Friday!" He laughed softly at the expressions on their faces.

"So, will you take him with you or not, Jiraiya?" Sarutobi said after recovering.

Jiraiya looked to actually think seriously on it before shrugging. "I s'pose it'd be all right. The two can train together."

"Oh, and before you go, I think you should know a few little secrets about Kurama. Should you or I tell him?" the Third asked.

Kurama blinked before shrugging. "No reason I can't tell him. To put it simply, I'm not from his dimension and was lead here half a year ago by a little fox. I got trapped here and couldn't go back through the cave from whence I came. Kakashi found me out in the forest and brought me here."

Sarutobi coughed, and Kurama sweatdropped.

"Right, right, I was getting to that part. Anyway... I'm not human. I'm a demon who died in the demon world from my realm and went into the human world to join my spirit with the fetus of a pregnant woman. Before my mother saved my life, I was just like any other demon, hating all humans and believing them to be disgusting creatures. I'm not like that now, of course. My demon name is Youko Kurama."

Jiraiya stared at Kurama. "You mean... you ARE a demon? It's not like you had a demon sealed inside you since birth?"

Kurama nodded his head. "Yes, I AM in all senses of the word, a demon. I have my memories, my powers, my beliefs, and the mentality of a demon, aside from the fact that I actually like most humans now."

Jiraiya stared at the boy who stood before them so calmly. "How old are you?"

Kurama blinked. "Well, it depends on what you mean by that question. I was around 3000 years old or so before I was killed. I lived in the human world for 16 years, and then I was transported here and was brought back down to the age of 11."

Both Sarutobi and Jiraiya stared at him. "I didn't know you were THAT old..." the Third said with a bit of sweat trailing down his temple.

"I am."

Jiraiya blinked again before asking, "What kind of demon are you?"

Kurama blinked. "Kitsune."

Both Sarutobi's and Jiraiya's jaws literally dropped to the floor. "Nani? What did I say?" Kurama asked, blinking cutely.

"Kitsune...?"

"He's just like Naruto," the Third said, his expression serious. "Perhaps he could help the boy to harness the powers of the demon?"

Kurama frowned. What were they talking about? Naruto? That blond kid?

"Perhaps he could..."

"Will you take him with you, Jiraiya?"

"Of course," Jiraiya said, his expression completely serious. (Am I the only one to notice how absolutely COOL he is when he's serious? Off in happy-land)

Sarutobi nodded his head, a smile touching his lips. "Thank you, Jiraiya."

Jiraiya nodded his head before turning to Kurama. "After the Chuunin Final Exam, I will come find you. We will go and look for Tsunade then," he said, his face still serious (COOL!!!).

Kurama nodded his head and left the office to go home.

When he got there he sighed as he saw the time. Already half of his day had been taken up, and he really needed to train! Frowning he looked down at his weighted limbs. He need to add more of the weights Gai had given him during the trip to Stone. How many pounds was that so far? 1200 something? Thinking back, he remembered that it was 1020 when Gai started hardcore training... and Kurama had added on a few times after that so... that was... what... 1100 pounds? Around there, probably. He needed to add another fifty, his speed was too great for a normal genin even with the 1100 pound weights. Sighing softly, Kurama forced himself to go back to the weight guy he went to before... what was his name? He couldn't remember.

Searching around the area he remembered it to be in, he smiled when he saw the sign. Walking into the store, he immediately spotted the owner.

"Ah, I see you're back again," he said with a smile.

Kurama only grinned slightly and asked him to make wrist and ankle bands with a total of 100 pounds for him.

The man nodded and pulled Kurama around back for fitting. Once they were done, Kurama paid for it and sweatdropped when he saw the state of his purse. Empty. That sucked. He'd have to go nail Kakashi for more of his allowance. "Money makes the world go 'round," Kurama commented to himself as he walked home with the two wrist and two ankle bands in a bag.

The next day he put the bands on and grinned when his speed slowed down considerably below even Naruto. Now he would have to push himself even harder. He'd also have to get a new form of weights made soon, because the amount of metal on his person was rather... unbelievable.

Making his way to his team's training spot, he smiled when he saw Neji there. "Neji!" he called, smiling.

The white-eyed boy turned to look at Kurama with emotionless Hyuuga eyes that seemed to soften slightly at the sight of the redhead.

"How long have you been training for?" Kurama asked with a smile.

"Not very long," Neji said looking at the craters his Kaiten had created.

Kurama smiled and went off to a more secluded part of their training ground after waving to Neji. Finding a comfortable area, he started punching the trees, trying to keep his punches in perfect form. After a while, he started to get sloppy, but he forced his body to keep the punches accurate. With one final punch, he cracked the tree in two, causing it to fall towards Kurama, who effortlessly dodged it. Moving away from the damaged tree, he stared doing his pushups, situps, and other various excercises.

That was how the month before the Final Exam went, with constant training and Kurama adding weights until he got up to 1500 pounds. He was quite proud of himself about that, but he knew that even without his weights on, there was no way he could match some of the more powerful shinobi out there.

The Final Exam arrived, and all participating genin arrived at the arena well before it was time for the exam to begin. None wanted to be late and disqualified (except maybe Shikamaru, but we all know he's just a lazy ass).

The Third started his little opening speech, which Kurama paid almost no attention to, and then Genma was given the signal to start, although one of the genin still weren't there. Guess who the pompass ass was? None other than Uchiha Sasuke (not that I don't like sasu, I just think he's a little screwed in the head, really).

But enough about that. The first match was revealed to be...

Shino vs. Shikamaru

You know, people, I'm really too lazy to actually write a really good battle scene for this and the next one, so don't bite my head off, please. I'll try my best, but I'm tired right now, and I'm goin to bed. Oyasumi nasai!!


	31. Chapter ThirtyOne

**Kurama in Narutoland**

oOo

Chapter Thirty-One

oOo

Next match: Shino vs. Shikamaru

Shikamaru sighed. It was so troublesome.

Shino said nothing as the two of them watched the others leave the arena. Once everyone was up in the waiting area, Genma got ready to start the first match of the Chuunin Final Exam.

"Ready..."

Shino and Shikamaru stared at eachother, no expression whatsoever on their faces (for different reasons, of course).

"GO!!"

Neither moved.

Shikamaru stared at his opponent, examining what he knew of him. Forming a few quick seals, he tried to use his shadow to capture Shino.

It didn't work of course, but that wasn't the point of the exercise.

Shino dodged the shadow easily, keeping an eye on how far it could stretch. Seeing it stop after a time, he mentally measured the shadow's length and sent his bugs to work. They tried to sneak up on Shikamaru, but he didn't allow that, knowing that Shino used bugs.

Jumping back, Shikamaru kept an eye open for bugs, not wanting to lose this early on in the fight even IF he was a lazy ass. Retreating back into the shadows of the arena, he devised a plan. His hands took up the traditional 'Shika-thinking' hand-posture. Yes, I just made that up. I dunno what it's really called, but that's OBVIOUSLY not the point. So, Shika-chan made his hand posture and concentrated on a strategy.

Meanwhile, Shino was wondering what the hell Shikamaru could POSSIBLY be doing. So, he sent a female but to Shikamaru to keep track of him.

Shikamaru opened his eyes after a while, a plan formed in his mind. Throwing a kunai, he aimed for Shino, who merely jumped to the left to avoid the weak attack. Eyes narrowed behind black glasses, he sent his bugs out after Shikamaru by the swarm.

The shadows hid Shikamaru's smirk as he sent out his shadow to connect with the bugs and make its way to Shino, whose eyes widened in realization behind his glasses and he jumped back.

Shino was about to call another attack when he froze, body unable to move. Glancing down with his eyes, he saw his shadow connected to Shikamaru's... who had suddenly appeared behind him.

Shikamaru grinned lazily, putting his hand up. "I forfeit."

Everyone in the entire arena face-faulted. Guess they didn't expect THAT, ne? But then again, you didn't expect this match to be so damn boring, but I'm TIRED, so don't complain. The matches that MATTER will be worth it, so don't worry.

"I'm almost out of charka, and holding you in place much longer will deplete whatever I have left."

Genma rolled his eyes. Unmotivated brats these days... "Winner of the first match, Aburame Shino."

Shino only shrugged and made his way back up to the waiting area, Shikamaru trailing behind a ways... quite a ways, the lazy ass.

"Next match..."

Uzumaki Naruto vs. Hyuuga Neji

This fight will be (basically) copied from the manga. I'm too lazy to even TRY to write a different version, but what's the point anyway? I want to save my strategies and ideas for the fights that MATTER. Like that Kurama/Lee one. That one was good, no?

Naruto grinned. Finally he'd be able to show that pompass ass who's better.

Kurama smiled at Neji, silently wishing him luck. The white-eyed prodigy of the Hyuuga clan offered a small smile in return.

Naruto jumped down from the waiting area onto the arena floor, waiting for his opponent to make an appearance.

Neji made a less flashy appearance, merely walking down to the arena floor, a determined look upon his face.

Naruto grinned.

Neji remained expressionless.

"Second match... BEGIN!!" Genma shouted, jumping back away from the competitors.

Neji slipped into the Hyuuga taijutsu, Byakugan eyes activated and ready to go.

'Tenketsu... chakra opening points. If Neji presses them right, I'm screwed. I can't get too close to him, this'll have to be long-distance fighting...' Naruto thought to himself before forming his hands into the seal of Kage Bushin. Creating four more clones of himself, they all pulled out kunai and got ready to fight.

Neji examined Naruto's clones with his eyes. 'What? The chakra is divided evenly between the five Narutos... Kage Bushin? Impossible, someone of his 'caliber' could never perform that hard a jutsu... yet it seems he did... interesting.' "In truth, there is only one real body. I will find you and finish you off."

"Stop acting so damn tough. Come and get me if you have the guts!" the Narutos said in unison.

"Stop disrespecting me!" they said, each a different word, before charging at Neji with their kunai.

Neji merely caught the first two's heads and flipped himself over them all, landing with perfect precision. Spinning his body, he landed kicks with each foot on the other two Naruto. Seeing with his all-seeing Byakugan two Naruto coming from behind, he reached back and stopped their kunai with ease. After elbowing them both in the chin, he shot around and nailed them in the chest with two open fists. They flew backwards, disappearing in puffs of smoke.

Only the real Naruto was left at that point.

"I hear you want to become Hokage? Give up on that, you'll never be Hokage. It's impossible," Neji said, a smirk on his face, Byakugan still activated. "I can figure it out with these eyes... Talent is decided at your birth... You could say that everything is decided when a person is born."

"WHY THE HELL DO YOU ALWAYS AUTOMATICALLY DECIDE THINGS LIKE THAT?!!" Naruto shouted, pissed off.

"Then... are you saying that anyone can become Hokage through hard work? Only a handful of shinobi are chosen as Hokage."

Naruto was silent.

"Look closer at reality! Those that become Hokage are born into that destiny. You don't become it by trying. It is decided by Destiny. People must live within their own unchangeable flow..." Neji said, a scowl on his face.

Naruto was wide eyed, not saying a thing.

"Only one... The only destiny that every person shares... is death..." Neji said, his face glazing over with slight sadness with a frown. Thoughts of his father crossed his mind as he spaced out.

Naruto stared at Neji, eyes wide as he contemplated the complexity of Neji's life.

Up in the crowd, Hiashi thought to himself, 'Those eyes... he still holds a grudge against the main family...'

"SO WHAT?!! I'M NOT GOOD AT GIVING UP!!!" Naruto shouted, hands forming a seal. A group of Kage Bushins appeared behind and beside him.

"I'm not stupid," Neji said, eyes activated again, "I already see through your attack pattern."

"BAH!! I TOLD YOU TO STOP AUTOMATICALLY DECIDING THINGS!!" Naruto shouted, quite pissed off at that point. All the Narutos charged Neji, who merely narrowed his eyes in concentration. "DAMNIT!! CAN'T CATCH HIM AT ALL!!" Naruto shouted in frustration as Neji continued to dodge.

'I told you I'm not stupid,' Neji thought to himself, 'The true body is... I know where it is!!' Neji went after a Naruto that was standing to the back slightly, not attacking as many times.

Neji shot out of the crowd of Narutos, attacking a spot on Naruto's chest with two fingers. "Fearing having your points pressed, one body is doing the least amount of attacking," Neji said, a smirk on his face, "The more you attack, the clearer it becomes."

The group of Narutos behind Neji disappeared with a puff of smoke as the one Neji attacked coughed out blood.

"That's why I told you it was useless," Neji said, eyes determined.

"Heheh... That's why... I told you... To stop automatically deciding things," Naruto said with a grin no his face, blood dripping from his chin. He disappeared with a puff of smoke.

"NO WAY!!" Neji exclaimed, turning around quickly to see two Narutos jumping at him.

"YES!!! GO NARUTO!!!" Kiba shouted from the sidelines.

Naruto-kun..." Hinata said softly.

The chuunin with spiky hair from the 'genjutsu on the room number' chapter in the past was shocked, and stared wide-eyed out at the arena.

'Anticipating what I was thinking and purposely having one clone stand out...?' Neji thought to himself in surprise.

"I'M COMING AT YOU... WITH EVERYTHING I GOT AND ALREADY PREPARED TO DIE!!!" Naruto shouted, his fist poised for a punch.

Neji's eyes widened as both Narutos came at him, fists raised.

Both Naruto landed their fists on each side of Neji, triumphant grins on their faces. Their eyes widened, however, when chakra began to release from Neji's body, just as their fists were about to connect.

Neji initiated kaiten, spinning his body and chakra.

Naruto flew back from the blast. The kage bushin disappeared in a puff of smoke and the real Naruto skidded to a stop, staring at Neji in the middle of his little crater. 'What... what that?!'

Neji smirked confidently. "You thought you had won?"

Genin in the crowd had mixed thoughts.

'That was Kaiten, the Heavenly Spin...' Hizashi thought to himself, eyes narrowing in thought.

"It's over... You are within the field of my Hakke," Neji said, closing his eyes.

Kurama's eyes widened slightly as he watched the match progress. 'Is he really going to use that so early on in the tournament? Naruto is really giving him that much trouble?' Kurama's eyes narrowed slightly as he examined Naruto. He could sense no demonic chakra from him, yet... He had incredible stamina...

"Gentle fist style, 64 hands of Hakke," Neji announced, slipping into the correct stance.

"Hakke two hands!"

"Four hands!"

"Eight hands!"

"16 hands!"

"32 hands!"

"64 hands!"

Naruto was blasted back with the force of it, crashing into the ground and sliding backwards a few feet.

"I have hit 64 points on your body, you can no longer stand."

Naruto groaned in pain.

"Heh... Is it painful? Stay on your knees before a power you cannot change and realize your worthlessness. Having your dreams come true through hard work, is an illusion," Neji said, watching Naruto suffer.

Naruto managed to open an eye to look at Neji. 'Damnit...' he thought to himself.

'Damnit...'

Shocking everyone in the stands, he slowly pushed himself off the ground.

"What?" Neji said, frowning as he watched.

"I told you," Naruto said, dirty, sweating, and in pain. "I'm not good at giving up!"

'This guy... impossible...'

Naruto wobbled where he stood, breathing harshly.

"Quit already... Continuing won't change anything. I have no grudge against you...'

"S... SHUT UP!! WELL... I DO!!" Naruto shouted in determination.

"..." Neji paused. "What do you mean?"

"Why... why, if you're this strong... Why, with those eyes that can see everything... did you mentally attack Hinata, who was trying so hard?" Naruto asked, eyes barely open as he tried to cling to consciousness.

"That's none of your business."

"Insulting Hinata, automatically deciding she's a loser!! Main family... Branch family... I don't know what the hell happened... But pieces of shit like you who call other people losers... I WILL NEVER FORGIVE!!"

"All right... Fine... if you are gonna go that far, then I'll tell you... the Hyuuga's destiny of hatred..."

Repeat: Disclaimer: The entire fight between Naruto and Neji was copied word for word from the manga (missing a few bits here and there, though) and I take no credit for the match at all.

Evil cliffhanger, though, right? It's what I'm good at!! Hehheh


	32. Chapter ThirtyTwo

****

**Kurama in Narutoland**

oOo

Chapter Thirty-two:

oOo

Disclaimer: The entirety of the Naruto/Neji battle is not my work, and I take no credit for it whatsoever.

"The Hyuuga destiny of hatred."

The two combatants stared at eachother.

Kurama frowned. 'Is he going to tell Naruto exactly what he told me?' he thought to himself. 'I still think that the possibility of a misunderstanding between Neji and the main house leader is quite high, especially with the way that Neji's eyes glowed with hatred whenever he mentioned the main family...'

"The Hyuuga Main family has a special ninjutsu that's been passed down... It's a... curse seal jutsu."

"Curse seal jutsu?" Naruto repeated, eyes widened.

"The curse of the mark represents 'A bird in a cage'. It is... the symbol of being tied down to an inescapable destiny.

Naruto was shocked.

Neji moved to remove his hitai-ate, and showed Naruto his forehead.

"W... what?" Naruto mumbled, staring at the seal. "That mark is..."

"One day when I was four... I had this horrible seal carved into my forehead through that curse seal jutsu. That day, a grand ceremony was taking place in the leaf. A shinobi leader from the cloud country, which had been warring with the leaf for many years, had arrived to sign an alliance treaty. But at this ceremony which everyone attended, from jounin to genin, one clan was missing. That was the Hyuuga clan. Because that was the important day, that the Hyuuga heir turned three. Hinata-sama's third birthday." Neji looked up to the stands and glared at Hiashi. "My father, Hyuuga Hizashi, and Hinata-sama's father over there, Hyuuga Hiashi-sama, were twins. But Hinata-sama's father, Hiashi-sama, was born to this world first... A member of the main family. And my father, the second son, became a member of the branch family. When the Hyuuga first daughter grew and became three, I was turned into 'the bird in the cage', because of this curse. As a Hyuuga branch family member." Neji said, a frown on his face, eyes narrowed slightly.

"Why... is that necessary...?" Naruto asked. "Why do you need that weird mark to distinguish the main and branch families?"

"This mark on my forehead is not simply a decoration. This curse seal is the absolute fear of death given to the branch families by the main family. With a simple secret hand seal, the branch member's mind can be easily destroyed... death is just as easy, of course. And this curse will only disappear after death, sealing up the ability of the Byakugan along with it."

Naruto's surprise was evident upon his face.

"The Hyuuga house is a clan that holds great advanced blood. Those that go after those secrets are incalculable. So, with this jutsu, the branch family is allowed to live only to protect the main family. No disobedience is allowed by the main family. It's an effective system, created to eternally protect... the advanced Byakugan blood of the Hyuuga.

"And, that incident occurred... My father was killed by the main family."

"Huh?!"

"One night, Hinata-sama was taken by someone. Then, Hiashi-sama quickly took care of it. And killed him. It was dark, and he was wearing a mask... who do you think it was? He was... He was the cloud country shinobi leader... who had just signed the alliance treaty. It became clear that he was after the Hyuuga secrets from the beginning... But the cloud country, with one of their leaders killed in the failed plan, made demands of the leaf for breaking the alliance. Of course, the leaf and cloud bickered back and forth... it almost came to war. But with the leaf wanting to avoid war, they made a backdoor deal with the cloud."

"Deal?" Naruto questioned.

"The cloud wanted the Hyuuga main family's advanced blood and the Byakugan... They demanded the corpse of Hiashi-sama. And the leaf agreed to their wishes. And war was safely avoided. Thanks to my dad... who was killed by the main family to replace Hyuuga Hiashi's corpse."

Naruto was shocked.

"Hehe... To escape this horrible curse... There's no method but death. They were twins, their strength was virtually the same... born first... born second... Destiny was decided just by that. And this fight... your destiny was decided... The moment I became your opponent. Your destiny is to lose to me. There's no doubt."

"We won't know until it's over!" Naruto shouted as Neji placed his hitai-ate back on his forehead. "I don't know how much it hurt that your dad was killed a long time ago, but... Thinking that destiny is all decided because of that is a huge mistake!"

"You're hopeless..." Neji said, activating his Byakugan and running at Naruto. He landed an open hand to his chest and sent Naruto flying backwards. "Examiner, it's over." Neji scowled. "Heh... damn loser..."

Naruto's eyes shadowed at being called a loser. "Don't run away..." he ground out. "I won't run... I don't go back on my word."

"Heh... I've heard that one before..." Neji said, smirking.

Up in the waiting area, Kurama frowned. Why was Neji being so negative? Was this was he was usually like when Kurama wasn't around? This cold, emotionless, cruel? The thought was something Kurama had never considered before... but Kurama knew he wouldn't be able to change anything, and that Neji needed to learn to let go of this animosity on his own.

There's no way... I'll lose... To a coward who's always whining about destiny," Naruto said, his face and body a wreak.

"An ignorant brat like you shouldn't be lecturing... People are born burdened with a destiny they cannot oppose. YOU COULD NEVER UNDERSTAND WHAT IT'S LIKE TO BE BURDENED WITH A SYMBOL YOU COULD NEVER RID YOURSELF OF!!!"

Naruto's eyes shadowed as images of people hating him flashed before his eyes... the demon fox, Kyuubi... all the hatred he felt from the villagers... the hatred... the fox... "Yeah... I can..." Naruto said, his expression utterly serious, a smirk on his face. "And? So what?"

Neji glared at Naruto.

"Pft! Stop acting cool... You're not the only one that's special. HINATA TOO... SHE'S SUFFERED AS MUCH AS YOU!! A MEMBER OF THE MAIN FAMILY... BUT NOT ACKNOWLEDGED, TRYING HER BEST TO CHANGE HERSELF... THINKING THAT AS SHE WAS COUGHING BLOOD WHILE FIGHTING YOU! YOU'RE THE SAME!! THE BRANCH FAMILY IS SUPPOSED TO PROTECT THE MAIN FAMILY, YET DOING THAT TO HINATA... IN TRUTH, YOU ARE TRYING YOUR HARDEST TO DISOBEY DESTINY..." Naruto coughed harshly, glaring at Neji, blood dripping from his chin.

"Heh... your 64 opening points are closed... you won't be able to use chakra for a while, how can you fight? In the end, you and Hinata-sama share the same destiny!"

"SHUT UP!! Stop using that Byakugan to decide and act like you know everyone's destiny!!"

"Then prove to me that what you are saying is correct..."

"YEAH! I'M DEFINITELY GOING TO DEFEAT YOU... AND PROVE THAT!!!" Naruto said, determination written all over his dirty and worn face. 'Damn it! But I can't feel any chakra...! Feels like when I used it all up during the training!' His eyes widened when it hit him. His mind flashed back to when Jiraiya told him of his two types of chakra. 'Yeah... The nine-tails' chakra...' Closing his eyes in concentration, he shouted in his mind, _Stupid fox... Lend me your power!!_

"Enough talking, examiner... I'm going to go at him intending to kill! If you want to stop it, then go right ahead."

"HAAAA!!" Naruto shouted, his hands in the position of focusing chakra. 'I can't lose this time!!'

"It's useless... your points have been pressed."

"HAAAA!" 'I must...'

"Can I ask you one thing? Why do you go against your destiny so much?" Neji asked, a smirk on his face.

"Because... I was called a loser."

Neji's eyes narrowed slightly, before widening at the sight he witnessed.

Naruto summoned forth the chakra of Kyuubi, cuts and bruises disappearing.

'I'm... Impossible... Chakra is flowing out... what's going on...?' Neji thought, watching with his Byakugan eyes as the chakra flowed outwards from a swirl in his stomach, going to the rest of his body. 'Who...' Neji saw the chakra swirl out and form into a strange creature, causing him to take a step back, eyes wide. '...Is he?'

On the sidelines, Hiashi thought, 'No way... this chakra is...'

The chuunin, spiky, exclaimed, "Impossible! His opening points have been pressed!!"

The Kazekage's eyes widened at the site.

Gaara's eyes widened in shock at sensing the energy...

'The feelings of this chakra... it's definitely the nine-tails... when did he learn...!' Sarutobi thought to himself from where he sat.

Five streams of chakra that looked to be tails flew out from Naruto's form. Debris was pushed away from where he stood with the wave of energy pulsating from his form. "Here I come!!" he said, his expression serious.

Neji was shocked, and held up a hand to block his face from the flying rocks and dirt.

The tails of chakra wrapped themselves around Naruto, the energy flowing into his small frame.

'It's wrapping around him... what is that? That's chakra?' Neji thought, Byakugan eyes still activated.

The genin in the stands were shocked at the display of power from the dunce.

'Incredible power, like during the training...' Naruto thought to himself as the raw chakra ripped up the ground a bit, '...But more!!'

Moving with incredible speed increased by the Kyuubi's chakra, Naruto shot behind Neji, in the air, and chucked three shuriken at him.

Neji used the Kaiten to stop the shuriken. Stopping the spin of chakra, he snatched the shuriken out of the air and chucked them right back at Naruto, who easily jumped out of the way with his incredible new speed.

'His speed has increased?! What's going on?' Neji thought, pulling out a kunai, as did Naruto. They both shot their Kunai at eachother, then jumped after the kunai at their opponent. The kunai bounced off eachother, as did their owners right after them. Both slid to a stop.

Naruto shouted out, "HEY!! You're confident in close combat, right?!!" Naruto jumped at Neji, what the Hyuuga had previously said about him not becoming Hokage and what not flying through his head. His chakra literally tore up the ground as he ran at Neji. "I don't know about this Hyuuga destiny of hatred or whatever, but if it's too much for you, then you don't have to anything anymore," Naruto stated as he was about to make impact with Neji.

'Oh no... Kaiten...' Neji thought, activating Kaiten right before Naruto hit him.

"When I become Hokage... I'LL CHANGE THE HYUUGA!!" he shouted as their chakra connected.

The resulting explosion sent energy flying outwards, as well as smoke and bits of rock. Two bits of smoke were thrown away from the explosion in different directions, landing 12 feet away from the crater in the ground. Smoke cleared, and two craters on opposite sides of the big crater appeared. A hand appeared out of one...

And none other than Hyuuga Neji crawled out, coughing harshly. The weary Hyuuga walked towards Naruto's little crater, where the blond lied unconscious.

"Loser... Sorry, but... This is reality."

Neji eyes widened, however, when Naruto shot out of the ground underneath him and nailed him in the chin, sending him flying up and backwards. He landed on his back a few feet away from Naruto.

"Guh... my body..." Neji mumbled.

The Kage Bushin of Naruto disappeared in a puff of smoke and revealed the hole Naruto had dug.

"Ugh... to quickly use Kage Bushin in that situation... your main ninjutsu, eh? How careless of me..." Neji got out, his body quite injured and bruised up.

"I... I failed the academy graduation exam three times."

"That's because, unluckily for me, the ninjutsu test on the final exam was always decided as... my weakest ninjutsu."

"...!" Neji stared at Naruto.

"The Bushin no Jutsu... was my worst ninjutsu. Destiny can't be changed, blah blah. Stop whining about stupid crap like that. Since... you're not a loser like me."

"Heh," Genma said to himself. "Winner! Uzumaki Naruto!!"

Slowly clapping started up in the crowd, before it turned into a roar. Comments like, "That was incredible!!" "That was great!!" "Great fight, shrimp!!" could occasionally be heard through the noise.

Naruto stared in surprise before grinning and giving the 'V for Victory' sign (otherwise known as the 'peace' sign). Naruto stared running around the arena, blowing kisses like the idiot he was.

"Whoa! He won! Seriously? I had assumed he was a lame-ass type like me..." Shikamaru said up in the waiting area.

"Lame-ass type?" Shino commented.

"Everyone's cheering him. He's totally a kick-ass type. Plus, I probably can't beat him, how depressing..." Shikamaru said.

Sarutobi thought to himself, 'Naruto... to be able to use the nine-tails power... and to control it in a stable state... since when could he...? Did Kakashi teach him this?'

Before the medics could arrive, Genma said to Neji, "Heh... even a captured bird... If it's clever enough, will try to open the cage with its beak. Never giving up its desire to freely fly in the sky."

Neji didn't say anything, but contemplated the match.

"This time you have lost," Genma said.

(Officially the end of copying... for now)

Kurama smiled softly before disappearing from waiting area and appearing in the sky to fall down to Neji's side just as the Medics began to carry him away. He landed gracefully, exercising perfect muscle control. With graceful movements that held an underlying deadliness, he leaned in to whisper in Neji's ear. "I will come by to see you later, rather than accompany you now, for my match is next."

Neji smiled softly and nodded his head slightly. He disappeared to Kurama's sight as the medics took him off to be treated.

Hyuuga Hiashi also left... to explain what really happened to Hizashi to his twin's son. (if you don't know what happens here, then just email me and I'll tell you. Right now I'm going on to the next match.)

"Gaara of the Sand! Come down to the arena!" Genma said, since Kurama was obviously already there.

Kurama turned sharp emeralds to eye Gaara, who returned his serious look in kind. (note to all readers, the Gaara/Kurama lemon I wrote has nothing to do with this plot, and is merely a side lemon for the pleasure of you all.)

Gaara got a freaky look on his face, and Kurama blinked at the severe killing intent he sensed coming from the turquoise-eyed boy.

Up in the waiting area, Temari thought to herself, 'This isn't good, Gaara hasn't been like this for a while...'

Kankuro spoke, "Gaara... about the plan, do you under-"

But he was cut off by a pale and sweating Temari. "Don't talk to Gaara..." Kankuro's eyes widened in realization as Temari finished her sentence. "Or you'll be killed!"

Gaara slowly made his way down the stairs.

While Gaara was taking his sweet, time, guess who decided to show up?

With a whirl of leaves, Kakashi and Sasuke appeared in the middle of the arena. Looking around himself, Kakashi asked, "Are we late?"

Kurama chuckled, drawing Kakashi's attention to him. "No Kakashi, you aren't late. It must be the end of the world, considering you are on time for once," he said with humor in his voice.

Kakashi reached back and scratched the back of his head. "Eheh. So it's your match, ne, Kurama? You're against Gaara?"

Kurama rolled his eyes and elbowed Kakashi in the side. "Baka. Of course it's my match, why the hell else would I be down here?" he said, taking on an annoyed expression as he acted out of character with the man that always tried his patience.

"Ah, right," Kakashi said, sweatdropping.

Kurama turned his attention to the black-haired boy... who was currently glaring death at him. Raising an eyebrow, he leaned in close and got in Sasuke's face. "And what would a cutie like you be doing glaring at me?" Kurama asked in a high voice that sounded incredibly like a girl's. Winking at Sasuke, he pulled back and enjoyed the shocked look on the ass's face. 'Now that's more like it,' Kurama thought to himself with a smirk.

Sasuke soon returned to glaring, and walked towards the stairs to get to the waiting area, leaving Kakashi behind.

Kakashi, noticing his student leaving, wished Kurama good luck and waved.

Kurama only smiled, before turning his attention to the quickly approaching Gaara. 'You know, that look on his face is quite close to insane... or IS insane... and I have to fight this freak? God, poor me. Might as well get serious about this, so I don't get killed by this little murderer.'

Gaara and Kurama stood across from eachother, Genma ready to give the signal to begin.

Kazekage commented, "I hear this boy is strong. Who do you think will win?"

The Third Hokage turned his attention to his guest. Turning his eyes back to the match, he went over everything he knew about each of them. Smiling lightly, he said, "Kurama will win. I have no doubt." 'A demon container versus a true demon... isn't it obvious who will win? Kurama, even with the curse seal hampering his abilities, should be able to defeat Gaara.'

"That is bold to say, you must have much confidence in this boy," Kazekage said.

Sarutobi glanced at Kazekage, not entirely trusting him. He knew something fishy was up, and that Orochimaru was probably here somewhere... if not sitting right beside him. "Yes, I am confident that he will win."

Kurama eyed his opponent. Gaara was not someone to fool around with. Eyes narrowing in a calculating manner, he prepared himself for whatever the boy threw at him.

"Alright, both of you. You ready?" Genma asked. Receiving a look from Kurama, he decided to just start the match. "Right... BEGIN!" he shouted, jumping back and out of the way.

Gaara released the sand from his gourd and it attacked Kurama instantly. Part of it formed into a long spear, aiming for Kurama's heart.

What do you think of the fight so far? I plan on doing a good job on this one, so I hope you all like it. This damn chapter is 9 pages long, so don't complain about it being short, this is one of the longer flippin chappies. (grin) Later!


	33. Chapter ThirtyThree

**Kurama in Narutoland**

oOo

Chapter Thirty-three:

oOo

Kurama jumped out of the way, eyes serious as he contemplated a way to defeat Gaara. 'He uses sand. That's his main weapon. I must find a way to get past it and attack him directly. Get rid of the sand...' an idea popped into his head and he smirked coldly, eyes glowing with lust... for blood. "Goukakyuu no Jutsu!" he called out in a deeper voice than usual, spitting a huge amount of fire from his mouth, instantly turning all sand into warped glass.

Gaara only smirked and turned the ground beneath him into more sand. He sent it after Kurama again, this time; however, it became a clone of him and attacked with taijutsu. Kurama smirked, made a quick few seals, and made four bushin of himself. Disappearing in the smoke, he made it look like he had only created three others besides himself. Hiding himself on the other side of the arena, behind Gaara, he watched as his bushin avoided attacks from Gaara and made it look like they actually tried to attack. Smirking, he formed the seals for his Water Whirlwind no Jutsu. The tornado formed silently behind Gaara and attacked him without him being aware of it at all.

Gaara disappeared inside the water, it trying to cut his skin. Smirking, he used his sand to blast the little water tornado apart.

Kurama frowned. It hadn't worked. His skin didn't have a scratch on it... Why was that? Deciding to find out, he attacked Gaara from behind with a kick to the back of the head. Gaara flew forward a few feet before his sand caught him. Now that Kurama had his attention, he attacked him with the taijutsu Gai had taught him. Throwing an incredible amount of power into a punch that was blocked with Gaara's arm, his eyes widened. Cracks had appeared from the punch, and a few shell-like pieces of sand fell off, leaving skin beneath. 'So that's it... he has an armor of sand...' Eyes narrowing, he disappeared from view with his speed.

The next thing Gaara knew, millions upon millions of shards of glass were flying at him with incredible speed. Smirking, Kurama exercised incredible speed to appear behind Gaara and kick him straight into the wave of glass shards.

Gaara had to close his eyes, and his patience was wearing thin. He wanted blood. Now. Growling, he landed on his feet and turned around quickly to face Kurama... who wasn't there. Growling again in annoyance, he summoned his sand to him.

Kurama tried to attack Gaara with a punch, but the sand merely shot up and formed a half-shell to block the attack. Jumping back, he formed another plan. Reaching into his hair, he pulled out a rose. "Rose whip!" he called out, transforming the rose in his hand into a long green vine with many long, sharp thorns all over it. Smirking coldly, he merely watched as the sand turned into another Gaara. Running at the Gaara, he flicked his whip through the air.

To Gaara's absolute shock, Kurama's whip sliced through his sand like butter, and the redhead continued on through the sand with incredible speed, dodging any attacks that were meant for him. Once he reached the real Gaara, he failed to notice as the ground beneath him turned into sand and captured his feet. He came jerking to a stop... in the middle of a forest of pieces of angry sand.

Paling slightly, Kurama used his whip to cut at his bonds, but it was no use. The sand came in like a fist and punched his cheek. His head whipped back, and Kurama castigated himself for his inattentiveness. 'Kawarimi no Jutsu!' he thought in his head, instantly replacing his body with a log.

Kurama was at the far end of the arena, wanting to put some distance in-between the two of them. 'This isn't good... I can't get too close to him or he'll catch me like that again...'

Lee had just arrived, and he watched the match with curious eyes... The only reason he was late was because he slept in... Lee sweatdropped at the memory, but was still glad that he hadn't missed his teammates fight. It had come as a shock to him when he'd first seen both Kurama and Gaara in the Arena, duking it out. It was quite obvious that Kurama wasn't fairing as well as he would have liked. 'You can do it Kurama!' he thought with determination to himself.

The fight had been interesting thus far. Kurama was using incredible skill to try and outwit Gaara, and Lee was impressed. 'He will definitely make it to Chuunin...' he thought to himself.

"Ah, so you finally decided to show up, Lee," Gai commented, a small smile on his face.

"Yes!" Lee said.

"So this is your little look-alike, Gai?" Kakashi commented boredly, still watching the match.

Gai made an indignant sound and went into a long lecture about... well... nothing in particular really. Definitely nothing anyone with a brain would want to listen to, but then again, since when did some people have brains?

Yes, that comment was intended for Lee. Now, don't take me wrong, sometimes he's cute, but he likes to listen to Gai preach too much.

Lee hung on to Gai's every word, stars in his eyes as he listened to his idol preach about unimportant things.

Kakashi, like anyone with half a mind, was completely ignoring Gai, and when the green beast finished, he turned and asked, "What did you say?"

This caused Gai to face-fault horribly and fall over.

Lee went to his sensei's aid, placing a cold wet cloth on his forehead.

Naruto watched the match with intent eyes. This Kurama was very strong, perhaps even stronger than Sasuke. He also didn't seem to be a pompass ass, like Sasuke. Naruto made a face at that thought and watched the redhead's graceful movements. How had the green-eyed boy managed to achieve such muscle control? Usually only jounin moved with any grace, although most didn't.

Sasuke watched in anticipation. Either of those two shinobi would be perfect opponents for the next round, and he couldn't wait to find out who would win.

Kurama gritted his teeth as he dodged another assault. The sand was getting too quick for him... Jumping back to the edge of the arena, he quickly removed both the weights that Gai had given him, and the ones he had bought recently. Throwing them to the side, he smirked when their weight dug a small trench into the ground until they stopped moving. Down to 2020 pounds (the weight of his hidden weights that no body knew about), Kurama bounced on the balls of his feet, feeling much lighter already. Losing around 500 pounds that quickly just did that to a person. Heh.

Running forward with his increased speed, he shot behind Gaara before the boy knew what was happening. Kicking Gaara in the back, and cracking right through the gourd on his back, Kurama smirked when the sand was too slow to protect him.

Gaara went sailing through the air, his face contorted in fury as he struggled to control his trajectory to land properly on the ground and not face first. Landing in a cushion of sand, he scowled. He cold practically feel the cracked sand armor on his back falling off. Glaring at Kurama, he prepared to do his first jutsu. Performing the correct seals, he called out, "Sabaku Kyuu!" (Desert Coffin).

Kurama eyes widened when sand came up around him and completely encompassed him before he could move a muscle. 'I'll... suffocate... if I don't get out of here!' Calming his racing heart with practiced ease, he focused on a plan.

Sarutobi's eyes widened as he watched as Kurama was swallowed by the sand. Watching the battle intently, he wondered how Kurama would get himself out of that tight spot.

Naruto watched in shock as Kurama was trapped by the sound. 'He might die!!' he thought to himself in shock.

Meanwhile, Kurama had formed a plan and was smirking demonically. This would be entertaining, his more demonic side commented with a smirk. Closing his eyes and focusing his mind, he used his evil chakra to make a bamboo stick in his hair grow outwards with incredible speed, piercing through the shell of sand.

Kakashi's eyes widened, as did everyone else's, when many green bamboo sticks suddenly shot through the sand and turned it into a gigantic pin cushion.

The bamboo moved like it was a live, tearing away at the sand with its deadly angle-cut ends that were sharp enough to pierce rock.

The sand was pushed back, revealing Kurama in the center, the bamboo growing from his hair. This was an eye-opener, for sure. Kurama retracted the bamboo to his hair in an instant before it ate up all his sick chakra. 'If only I had my youki, only then would I be able to control plants for a long period of time, because my youki can actually SUPPORT the plant.' Swearing many profanities in his mind, Kurama narrowed his eyes on the outside and slipped into a martial arts form from his own world.

Jumping at Gaara with incredible speed that almost competed with a jounin's, Kurama slashed at Gaara with a long bamboo rod. Jumping back when the sand came at him again, he smirked and held the bamboo pole with the tip pointing at Gaara. Using his sick chakra, he made the pole grow at an incredible speed, driving it straight through the barriers of sand to stab at Gaara, who was forced to jump away to dodge.

Instead of bothering to retract the pole, he simply made it cut itself off. The part that was cut off, without a source of chakra, turned back into a tiny stick. (if you haven't noticed by now, I'm calling the chakra Orochimaru's curse seal tried to poison Kurama's chakra with 'sick chakra'. Okay, now that we got that cleared up.) Narrowing his eyes, Kurama calculated another move. It seemed he would have to use another jutsu out of his rather small arsenal. Sighing, he formed the proper seals for Thunder Strike no Jutsu (made up).

Kurama's chakra began to change into electricity, crackling around his body in a halo of yellow. Focusing the electricity to his right fist, he watched as it lighted up his surroundings. Smirking demonically at Gaara, he shot at the turquoise-eyed boy with a fist crackling with electricity, not unlike the Chidori, although not as powerful.

Slamming his fist through the walls of sand, he went straight for Gaara. Nailing the boy dead center in the face, Kurama smiled at his small victory as the electricity shot through Gaara's whole body, paralyzing him momentary and screwing around with his nerve pathways.

Kurama, about to finish the match, didn't account for the sand, and ended up just barely dodging a lethal attack to his heart. Again. Sweating at the close call, he watched in annoyance as Gaara was set standing by his sand, which now operated his body.

Gaara would have smirked at Kurama's irritated expression, IF he had any control over his body.

'I've got to take him out before he can recover from that attack,' Kurama thought to himself with narrowed eyes. 'The question is... how...'

Gaara didn't give Kurama the chance to do anything before he sent an incredible amount of sand after Kurama that kept attacking him with sharpened blades. Kurama had trouble dodging the sand, and began sustaining numerous bruises and cuts. Scowling, Kurama tried to jump back and get some distance in-between them, but Gaara just kept turning more and more dirt from the ground into sand.

Dodging many more attacks, Kurama glared at Gaara, who was beginning to recover from the attack of electricity to his system. 'Damnit!'

The attacks of sand kept Kurama occupied just long enough. Gaara ordered his sand to temporarily strike Kurama down.

Kurama took a hit to the back and crashed into the ground. Before he could regain his footing, the sand covered him as Gaara shouted, "Sabaku Sousou!" (Desert Graveyard). Kurama took a deep breath before the sand completely covered him. Closing his eyes, he focused on his surroundings. To his shock, the sand started to push inwards, intending on crushing his body until it was nothing but a mangled heap of bone and flesh.

Taking a deep calming breath, Kurama gathered his strength. He knew that the plants wouldn't be able to help him this time, because the sand was far too dense and close to his body for that to work. Gathering his chakra around his body, he shoved it outwards suddenly, literally blasting the sand around him out in all directions. Landing on the ground with a huff, Kurama tried to stay on his feet. He was running out of sick chakra... Then an idea hit him. Smiling, Kurama ran at Gaara with the intent of fighting hand to hand.

Gaara glared at Kurama, quite angry with the redhead's stubbornness to live.

Kurama attacked Gaara with taijutsu again, and this time, they both went at it without the sand interfering.

Gaara threw a punch at Kurama's stomach, nailing the redhead in the chest and sending him back a few feet.

Kurama came back at him with a deadly punch to the face that was chakra-enhanced, cracking his sand armor quite thoroughly.

Scowling, Gaara kicked at Kurama's head, but the green-eyed boy just dodged the attack and came at Gaara from behind. A well-placed punch landed itself between Gaara's shoulder blades, sending the sand boy sprawling forward, trying to regain his footing. Kurama didn't let him, however, and soon he was face first in the ground, the sand swirling angrily about him.

Kurama pulled out his rose whip and slashed the sand away temporarily, and had just enough time to jump on Gaara's back and dig him farther into the ground before the sand went back to the boy's aid.

Gaara pulled himself from the ground and looked at Kurama, who was breathing heavily and weak from chakra loss. Smirking, Gaara, unbeknownst to Kurama, replaced his body with a Suna Bushin, to come at him from behind.

Kurama sensed Gaara behind him just in time to turn around and receive a spear of sand in his gut.

Time froze in that moment as people stared in horror as Kurama received what could easily be a lethal wound.

Kakashi was about to jump into the arena to save Kurama.

Sarutobi stared in shock.

The genin were horrified as they saw the pain contort on Kurama's face.

Then, Kurama suddenly screamed so loud and painfully that shivers rippled down everyone's spines, including Gaara, who stared at Kurama with an evil grin. What he saw next, however, caused his eyes to widen in shock.

End chapter. MWAHAHAHA! Yes, it's short, I've only been writing the whole damn thing for this one god damn scene, and I'm tired of dragging on the match for your entertainment. However, you must admit that it is my best match ever, ne? ne? lol. Luv ya all!


	34. Chapter ThirtyFour

**Kurama in Narutoland**

oOo

Chapter Thirty-four:

oOo

Then, Kurama suddenly screamed so loud and painfully that shivers rippled down everyone's spines, including Gaara, who stared at Kurama with an evil grin. What he saw next, however, caused his eyes to widen in shock.

Kurama's eyes glowed gold, and fangs began to grow before Gaara's eyes as Kurama gritted his teeth. Once human nails lengthened and sharpened. Red hair became streaked with silver.

Kurama's smirk was so cold and heartless that Gaara felt his heart stop temporarily.

In a voice not his own, Kurama spoke, "**I no longer have any more sick chakra... I can attack you with my REAL chakra now...**" A laughter that sent chills down spines erupted from Kurama's mouth, silencing all in the arena.

Neji, who had come from the hospital almost completely healed, stared at who was suppose to be Kurama, but had turned into a completely different person.

Sarutobi stared at Kurama in shock. 'Is this his more demonic side? Will he go on a killing spree?' he worried to himself, although his rational side told him that Kurama had pledged loyalty to him, and wouldn't betray him.

"**Foolish boy,**" Kurama said, a cold smirk forming on his face as narrower golden eyes examined him. "**Even with a demon trapped inside your body, you are still weak,**" Youko said.

Gaara's eyes widened, and he jumped back away from Kurama, who wasn't even Kurama any more. How did he know about Shukaku?!

"**Pathetic... absolutely pathetic,**" Youko said in the deep and cold tenor instead of Kurama's alto. "**To believe that I was actually having difficulty fighting you, when you cower in fear at the expression on my face,**" Youko said, smirking cruelly.

'What's wrong with Kurama?' Neji worried to himself, watching as 'Kurama' acted with an entirely different personality than normal. 'What happened while I was at the hospital...?'

Gaara swallowed as he saw the killer intent in Youko's eyes. He'd never seen it so strong and aimed at him before... even with the hatred of everyone towards him. Narrowing his eyes, he prepared himself for anything to come.

Youko smirked. It was nice to get his frustrations out for once, which his more human side wouldn't allow... Time to kill. Running forward with increased speed, Youko appeared right in front of Gaara, scaring this shit out of him. Smirking darkly, he stabbed forward with his nails, planning on impaling Gaara on them. The turquoise-eyed boy didn't move quick enough, and got the hand right in his shoulder.

Screaming in pain, Gaara sent his sand after the retreating redhead. Blood-lust over took him as he ordered his sand to kill Kurama, and drink his blood.

Youko was having fun. Dodging the sand with a feline grace that no human could achieve, he made his way back to Gaara, intending to strike him again. Even with the armor of sand, Youko was strong enough to crack through it and get in a wound. Smirking, he snuck behind Gaara and attacked his spine.

Gaara dodged the attack to his spine, just barely able to deter it to right beside the intended spot. Even Gaara knew that a blow to the spine could end his killing. Growling, he called his sand to him to create a barrier. The sphere of sand.

Temari and Kankuro's eyes widened at this new twist. "He's forgetting the plan!" Temari bit out to Kankuro, not caring if Shikamaru or others overheard.

Sarutobi watched the match as it progressed, keeping an eye on Kurama's incredibly fast movements. He was almost as quick as a jounin now... and that was peculiar. When had Kurama been so powerful? He was practically a genuine genius, more so than even Hyuuga Neji and Uchiha Sasuke... Kurama was their most powerful genin, and was far beyond even the ranking of chuunin. But, perhaps that was to be expected considering he was a demon? He'd lived 3000 years, so he SHOULD be powerful, right?

Orochimaru, hidden in his disguise as Kazekage, was staring at the match with something akin to shock. Kurama would make a PERFECT body if ONLY he hadn't been after the sharingan to copy jutsu! This frustrated Orochimaru, because he wanted both of them... 'You _will_ become my servant, Kurama, whether you like it or not,' he decided in his head, licking his lips with a hungry look in his eyes.

Youko narrowed his eyes as he watched what was happening. Gaara had withdrawn all his sand to create a sphere of sand... an ultimate defense. Running forward quickly, he went to attack the sand when spikes suddenly jutted out and caused him to dash backwards and skid across the ground to a stop. Growling slightly, he pulled out his rose whip and flicked it at the sand with multiple slashes that were mere flashes of light. When he was done, he saw no changes aside from his whip's thorns were dulled to nothing. Turning it back into seed and placing it in his hair, he crossed his arms and eyed the sand. A smirk darkened his face when an idea came to him.

Yusuke's spirit gun had come to mind, which was a pure reiki attack. If he used the same principals of Yusuke's gun, he should be able to make an energy attack that could break through the shell. Holding his hand out to his side, he started powering pure youki into, making it shine a brilliant gold. The power pulsated, causing all who watched to stare at it in awe.

Neji activated his Byakugan to see an impossible sight. Kurama had placed raw... energy... in his hand! It wasn't chakra... but what was it? It was completely different... and far more powerful.

Forcing the energy surrounding his arm to the palm of his hand, he focused it into a tiny golf ball-sized sphere. Looking at his hand, he smirked at his handiwork. It would take up a bit of youki, but it was well worth it if it broke through that shell of sand. Smirking, he moved his hand forward so the palm was facing the sphere of sand. With a flash of malice in his eyes, Youko set the youki ball free, and it flew through the air as fast as a bullet, piercing through the shell with a loud boom that sounded exactly like a nearby thunder clap.

The resulting explosion sent bits of sand flying everywhere, blowing off two foot whole in diameter.

Kankuro's eyes widened. "No way! Gaara's absolute defense was..."

Temari was pale, sweat dripping down her face as she whispered, "It can't be..."

Their instructor mumbled with eyes wide, "Impossible..."

Youko looked inside and narrowed his eyes when he saw a golden eye with a four-pointed-star-like pupil. A scream of pain reached his ears from the hole in the sphere, and he smirked evilly. Gaara had sustained quite a large hole through his shoulder, no doubt.

The sphere collapsed, revealing an angry Gaara clutching at his wounds.

Just then, feathers began to fall from the sky as a genjutsu was activated. The audience began to fall asleep, as did a few genin, except for those who formed their hands into a dispel seal.

A smoke bomb went off, drawing Kurama's attention to it. His eyes widened when he saw ANBU move into action. Green eyes narrowed as he stared at his surroundings, his hair completely red again with no trace of silver streaks.

It had begun.

Snakes at the walls of Konohagakure began their destruction, destroying the wall and attacking the village.

The ANBU went into action, and the two shinobi that stood beside Kazekage were cut in half with ease.

A blur jumped out of the smoke, which was revealed to be Kazekage with a kunai to Sarutobi's throat.

The two shinobi that were cut in half landed on the roof, and four shinobi jumped from the pieces. They stood at for corners on the roof, and brought up a shield of fire before the ANBU could reach Kazekage.

Down in the arena, Gaara's teammates landed beside him.

Kurama looked around himself with calculating eyes, wondering what the hell was going on. He turned his attention to the sand nin, who were having a conversation.

"Gaara, the plan..." their instructor began, before stopping.

"I knew it..." Temari said.

"What's wrong?" Kankuro asked.

"He's experiencing the side effects. It's impossible to continue now! What do we do? Do it without him?!"

Bofuu (I think that's the intructor's name) thought for a moment before saying, "Abort the mission."

"What?!" Temari exclaimed in shock.

"You guys take Gaara and retreat."

"What about you?!" Temari asked.

"Damn..." Kankuro mumbled.

"I'll join the battle. GO!!"

"Right..."

The two of them jumped off, Gaara being carried by Kankuro.

Kurama frowned, mumbling obsenities under his breath.

Genma asked, "Is the leader of this party... Orochimaru?"

"Who knows? Let's just join the fun," Bofuu said.

"What's going on?" Kurama asked, eyes narrowed and far from happy.

"Sorry, but the chuunin exam is now over. You go pursue Gaara and the others. You're far beyond chuunin level... If you're a leaf shinobi, then make yourself useful," Genma said.

Kurama smirked darkly and said, "**I planned on it.**" He phased out of sight and appeared again on the walls of the stadium. Two sound shinobi came at him.

Genma gritted his teeth and was about to go and help him when with a blur of motion, blood, body parts, and guts went flying in all directions, painting the wall red. His eyes widened as he watched Kurama jump off, leaving the mess behind.

Kurama smirked and licked blood from the side of his mouth. The coppery taste filled his mouth, and his eyes flashed gold. A fang showed through his smirk as he dashed through the trees after Gaara and his little friends.

(Disclaimer: everything written of Sarutobi and Orochimaru is not mine, but the manga's.)

"So Gaara was useless..." Orochimaru said, still in his disguise of Kazekage. "Your foolishness has caused the leaf to fall further and further behind... I have won."

"Heh... It's not over till it's over... I thought I taught you that," Sarutobi said. Orochimaru ripped the mask from his face as Sarutobi finished. "Orochimaru!"

Meanwhile, with Kakashi, he was protecting Sakura from sound ninja. "Sakura, you have a talent with genjutsu. I want you to wake Naruto and Shikamaru up, okay? I want them to track down Kurama and help him out with Gaara. You and Sasuke will remain here and stay out of trouble."

"Why do you want Naruto to help Kurama? Why not Sasuke?!" Sakura asked.

"I have my reasons, Sakura, just do as I say please. Most likely, people from the sand and sound have already entered the village. With more than the basic four man small team, you lose speed and it becomes harder to remain hidden... You learned that during the patrol drill at the academy, right?"

"Oh! Yeah... But four people... who's the third and fourth?"

"This will only be a three-man team. The third..." Kakashi paused and said, "Summoning no Jutsu!" a small dog appeared. "This guy, Pakkun, will be able to track Kurama down by his scent.

"A little doggy?!"

"Don't call me a cute little doggy," the dog said in a rather deep voice for one so small.

'Cute... I didn't say cute!' Sakura crawled behind the seats up to Naruto and nullified the genjutsu on him.

"Wha? What happened, Sakura-chan?"

"I'll tell you later, so get down!"

"HUH?" Naruto said, completely lost.

Sakura stared at Shikamaru before here eyes narrowed in irritation.

Pakkun bit Shikamaru's ankle and he sat up. "OWWW!!"

"You were able to deflect the genjutsu too!! Why were you playing possum?!" Sakura asked him angrily.

"Bah! Forget it! I didn't want to be attacked, and I couldn't care less about Kurama."

Pakkun responded by chomping down on his hand.

"OUCH!"

A sound ninja came behind Naruto when he asked what was going on. Gai came to their rescue and punched the sound-nin straight through the wall.

"Now! Naruto, Shikamaru, your mission is to find Kurama, join up with him, and get to a safe location immediately. Now, escape out this hole and go!"

Shikamaru sighed and dragged a confused Naruto out with him.

Shino disappeared to follow them.

"Oh! So that's what happened!!" Naruto exclaimed as they ran through the forest.

"Yeah. But why the hell do I have to do this?!" Shikamaru asked in irritation.

"They're Kakashi-sensei's orders! Naruto exclaimed.

Suddenly Pakkun angled off to the right. "Hey you two, pick up the pace! Eight, no, nine are following us!"

"What?! Already?! You gotta be kidding!" Shikamaru said.

"They're closing in on us quickly, but it doesn't seem like they know where we are exactly."

"Shit! They're probably all beyond chuunin, if they catch up with us we're dead!" Shikamaru said.

"Shit! What about an ambush?!" Naruto suggested.

"No! It won't work. Two things are essential before an ambush can be carried out. First, the fleeing must know exactly where the enemy is. Second, they have to find places to hide that will cause maximum damage. So it's impossible, because these shinobi were trained by someone from konoha. They are hunters, who have studied the geography of the land and have practiced combat! Plus, we only have an idiot, a dog, and a guy who's better at running away than fighting, me! Compared to them, we're inexperienced and not as well-trained. We're completely at a disadvantage. There's only one thing we can do..."

"What's that?" Naruto asked, all ears.

"Someone needs to stay behind and pretend to ambush them. In other words, a decoy. And that decoy, will probably..." he trailed off, not willing to finish the sentence.

However, Naruto got what he meant. "Die," he finished.

Shikamaru nodded his head. "So who's gonna do it?"

"Well... I guess I'll-"

"I guess I'm the only one who can do it," Shikamaru said, snagging a tree branch and stopping. "Besides, Kagemane no Jutsu was originally a jutsu used as a delaying tactic..."

"They're coming closer!" Pakkun said.

"Shikamaru won't betray us..." Naruto said, his eyes trusting.

After a while, Pakkun announced, "They've stopped moving!"

"Yes! He did it!" 'Shikamaru, you'd better be alive and catch up to us!'

Back with Shikamaru, he was running out of chakra and was about to be killed when Asuma poofed into existence behind him with the ninth sound-nin hanging from one arm.

"I finally caught up with you," he said, smoking his cig.

"Asuma... why..." Shikamaru exclaimed.

The sound were about to attack when Asuma took them all out with ease. 'You did good Shikamaru... but, for the time being you're done...'

Shikamaru plopped down on his ass and rested.

oOo

Temari and Kankuro stopped, swearing under their breath.

Kurama's green eyes were emotionless as he said, "You cannot escape."

oOo

"Kurama's stopped moving... but there's still a little ways to go!"

"All right!" Naruto exclaimed, grinning.

oOo

"I'll be your opponent!" Kankuro said, removing his doll from his back. "Temari, take Gaara and go!"

"Right..." Temari mumbled.

"No...! I'll be your opponent!" Shino said, hands in his pockets.

Kurama nodded his head and watched as Temari took off.

"Kurama-"Shino went to explain how he had tracked Kurama when he was interrupted.

"Yes, yes. The bugs. I know," Kurama said with a smirk at Shino's surprised look. "I'll be on my way now," he said, phasing out of existence.

Shino and Kankuro began their fight.

oOo

Gaara made a noise as Temari carried him and jumped through the woods.

"Oh! Gaara, you awake?"

"Temari, put me down..."

Temari stopped and put Gaara on a branch. He clutched his head. 'The thing that was inside Gaara's body is about to awaken! I've got no idea when it's going to fully emerge... This is bad... I'm alone out here... I can't handle that THING alone...'

"Temari... Scram!" Gaara said, a freaky expression on his face.

Temari was pushed away, and collided with a tree.

Gaara narrowed his eyes and glared at Kurama, who stood calmly on a branch not too far away.

"I don't know what your motive is, but I will protect the village from you. And..." Kurama smirked, his eyes glowing amber, "**I want to see what the demon you host looks like.**"

Temari's eyes widened. 'How does he know?!'

Kurama watched as strange lines crawled over the side of Gaara's face. His eyes widened slightly when the right side of Gaara's face morphed, as did his right arm. Kurama stared into the star-pupil he had seen before, fear climbing up his spine, which was soon followed by the thrill of the fight. '**He is my opponent... Perfect,**' Kurama thought to himself as his body began to change as well. His hair became streaked silver and his eyes narrower. His irises literally glowed as a smirk grew on his face.

Gaara jumped at him with his demonic arm, planning on taking him out. His arm carved into the tree, creating an explosion of dust.

Kurama hid behind a tree not far away, waiting for the opportune moment.

"**_Are you afraid of me?!_**" the monster yelled, "**_Kurama!!_**"

Kurama's eyes narrowed while Temari's widened.

"**_Afraid of my existence!!_**"

Kurama thought back to all the times he had fought as a demon in the Makai, a master thief and killer. He thought back to all the powerful demons he'd faced... and had come out alive. A picture of Karasu came to mind, and he shuddered at the thought. "**The only one that I've ever been afraid of the time that I have lived...**" Kurama began, coming out from behind his tree. "**_Would be a demon named Karasu._**"


	35. Chapter ThirtyFive

**Kurama in Narutoland**

oOo

Chapter Thirty-five:

oOo

"The only one that I've ever been afraid of the time that I have lived..." Kurama began, coming out from behind his tree. "**_Would be a demon named Karasu._**"

Gaara stared at Kurama, who's wardrobe had changed to the white garb, revealing his weighted arm guards in the process. Pure silver hair drifted in a non-existent breeze. Silver fox ears atop his head twitched, catching every sound. Gold eyes glowed with malice.

Kurama's body was now as tall as a full grown adult's, toned, and his skin a far paler shade than usual. He was in his humanoid demon form, Youko Kurama. A smirk lit his face as he saw the surprise on Gaara's face. "**_Surprised? I would have thought our previous match gave you the hint..._**" he said in a sultry low tenor, his appearance practically _oozing_ sex.

A shiver went down Gaara's spine, and he grinned insanely. "**_Finally... I will have the match that I have been waiting for... A match to prove my existence..._**" he said, a crazed look in his eyes.

Youko only smirked and jumped at Gaara. The two met mid-air, Youko's claws cutting through Gaara's transformed arm. (In Yu Yu Hakusho, Kurama doesn't use his claws, but in my story, he does what I want him to, k? K.)

Gaara landed on a branch opposite Youko, holding his arm. "**_This pain... If I defeat someone strong enough to hurt me and utterly destroy them... I will feel an ever greater sense of existence!!_**" Gaara yelled

Youko only smirked and slipped into a martial arts stance.

"**_More! I want more! Hahaha!_**" Gaara yelled insanely, sand forming into a demon tail.

Golden eyes narrowed at the hideous sight. 'This demon really needs to get a fashion sense...' came the rather human thought. '**_He will not defeat me..._**' Youko said to himself, laughing softly.

Gaara jumped at Youko, his gigantic tail sailing behind him.

Youko's eyes narrowed. '**_He is faster than before... But I'm still wearing these stupid weights,_**' he thought to himself darkly with a smirk. Jumping to avoid Gaara, Youko blinked at the huge chunk the demon boy had taken out of the tree where he had just stood. Spinning around mid-air, he watched as Gaara's transformed right arm stretched to snag onto tree branches and sent him flying backwards... Right into Youko's next attack. "**_GOUKAKYUU NO JUTSU!_**" he called out, blowing fire at Gaara. Golden eyes widened the tiniest bit when Gaara came straight through the flame without a scratch. '**_Shit. I may have to get serious with this brat._**'

"**_DIE!_**" Gaara shouted, his eyes wild.

Youko blocked the blow by crossing his arms. The force sent him flying backwards, breaking through tree branches. Youko spread out his awareness of the trees and made them grow to catch him and slow his movement. Once he had come to a complete stop by the net of branches, he jumped onto a branch closer to Gaara to get a better look at the demon boy. "**_If you think I'd let a little whelp like you kill me, then you'd better think again,_**" Youko said, eyes glowing dangerously.

Gaara jumped at him, claw extended, when suddenly Naruto appeared and kicked him away.

Youko watched as Naruto landed near him. "**_I didn't need your help, brat,_**" he said, eyes half-lidded.

Naruto made a face. "WELL YOU'RE GETTING IT!!"

Youko blinked in surprise.

Naruto froze and took another look at Youko. "Wha... what the hell..." he managed to get out, pointing at Youko.

The silver kitsune only rolled his eyes and pulled the kid out of the way when Gaara went to attack again. "**_You can help if you want to so badly, but don't get yourself killed like an idiot,_**" Kurama said passively.

Naruto grinned before blinking. Tilting his head to the side, he reached for Kurama's ears. "Are those real?" he asked, rubbing one.

Youko growled at Naruto, baring his fangs to tell the brat to back off.

Naruto jumped back, eyes wide. "Whoa... freakish..."

"I will kill you both..." Gaara said, his left arm transforming as he spoke.

Making a face, Youko watched as Naruto made a hundred or so kage bunshins. "WE'LL SEE WHO LOSES!! ALL RIGHT GUYS! ATTACK!!" All two hundred or so kage bunshin jumped at Gaara at the same time. They went into formation for Naruto Rendan.

"U!"

"ZU!"

"MA!"

"KI!"

"NARUTO RENDAN!!" the Narutos shouted, half of them or so kicking Gaara at the same time.

However, Gaara was not so easily defeated, and he jumped after the real Naruto, aiming to kill.

Naruto grinned and created another kage bunshin. Jumping off the bunshin's back, he did a little ping pong trick from one bunshin to the other, and was quickly behind Gaara. "THOUSAND YEARS OF PAIN!" Naruto said, shoving a kunai with an explosive tag up Gaara's ass.

Youko winced. That had to hurt like a bitch.

Gaara whacked Naruto away from him, unaware of his impending dooooom.

Naruto smirked as he flew through the air, muttering, "Boom."

The exploding tag blew up, surrounding Gaara in smoke.

Youko winced yet again. THAT had to hurt like a bitch.

'**_Damnit. He hit one of my weak spots. I can't move!_**' Gaara thought to himself in annoyance, almost his entire body that of the badger demon, Shukaku.

And just at that moment, Gaara's true form was revealed. With a small boom, a full grown demon took his place in the forest. Onlookers stared in shock at the sight.

Youko's eyes narrowed. "Shinrin. Time to come out."

-Yes Master!- Shinrin exclaimed jumping onto Youko's head.

"I want you to change into a giant form of what you are right now. The same size as that demon over there. Okay?" Youko asked, not taking his eyes off of Shukaku.

"**_HAHAHA! NOW I WILL KILL YOU ALL!!_**"

-Yes Master!- And with that said, Shinrin jumped off Youko's head, his body growing in size at an increased pace. Soon the silver fox was the same size as a surprised Shukaku, Youko upon his head along with Naruto.

"We have our work cut out for us, Naruto. Do you have any summons that can help you?" Youko asked, conveniently forgetting that he was a DEMON talking to a human like nothing was wrong in the world.

However, Naruto didn't seem that disturbed at all by Kurama's new appearance, and he nodded his head. "Yep!" he said, a grin on his face. Summoning forth the chakra of Kyuubi, Naruto jumped off Shinrin's head while finishing seals, bit his thumb, and slammed his hand into the air beneath him. With a burst of smoke, the toad king, Gamabunta, appeared.

"_What? What are you doing summoning me, brat?_" Gamabunta boomed out in annoyance.

"You said you'd make me your underling! You protect your underlings, don't you? Isn't that the way of the family?!" Naruto asked, his eyes the big circles that the manga artist of 'Naruto' is so famous for.

"_Perhaps, but I haven't made you my underling yet! We haven't gone under the sake ritual!_" (Don't know what else to call it, my bad.)

Naruto facefaulted. "I'M NOT OLD ENOUGH TO DRINK!!"

"_So_?"

Making indignant noises, Naruto gritted his teeth.

"**_A fox? Do you expect to defeat me with such a creature?_**" Gaara in Shukaku's form laughed out.

Gamabunta turned his attention to the gigantic fox beside him, quirking an eyebrow in surprise.

"Why not?" Youko asked, a smirk on his face as he coordinated his mind with that of Shinrin. Before Naruto knew what was going on, Youko's body was sinking into Shinrin, the two of them becoming one.

Gamabunta's eyes widened at this. Suddenly, Shinrin's body came to life, the once green eyes flashing blood red. '_A battle between three demons... yet this silver fox is different than Shukaku and his host, and Kyuubi and Naruto... I cannot distinguish if there is both a demon, AND a human..._'

"**_If you think you're so tough, badger, why don't you prove it_**?" The fox asked, a toothy smirk in place.

Gaara manifested on Shukaku's head, preparing to do a fake sleep jutsu.

Gamabunted's eyes narrowed as he watched. "_If the medium falls asleep, then the demon will be in control..._"

"WHAT?" Naruto asked, as Shukaku suddenly laughed in pleasure.

"**_YES!! I'M FREE!! WEEE!!! TIME TO KILL!!_**" Shukaku laughed in sick pleasure, jumping at the gigantic fox.

The fox retaliated, dashing forward with surprising speed to bite Shukaku's neck to take a chunk out of it.

Gamabunta realized the seriousness of the situation and yelled out, "_Okay kid! I'll officially make you my underling, so let's work together to beat this thing before we get fried!_"

Naruto grinned. "Right Boss!"

Youko glanced over at Naruto and the giant frog, red eyes narrowing as he watched the frog pull out his sword and jump into the frey. Jumping on the badger demon's back, Youko kept Shukaku in place with his teeth, arms, and tail.

Gamabunta swung his sword, and just barely managed to cut off Shukaku's arm.

"**_HAHAHA!! I WILL ENJOY KILLING YOU!!!_**" Shukaku laughed, his eyes holding an insane glow. Turning his huge body rapidly, he managed to send the fox flying off of him.

Youko skidded to a stop a ways away. 'Shit, this isn't turning out good. This body isn't powerful enough, even fused with my youki. The only thing that'll be of any real help... would be my true demon form... Not this body.'

-Master, what do you want to do?-

'**_I don't know... Shinrin... There are too many possibilities... But... I suppose it would be best if I go back into my natural form..._**'

-Okay Master!-

And with that said, the fox disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving Youko out in the forest somewhere, where no one could spot him.

Gamabunta charged again, but had to jump away when Shukaku sent huge balls of wind flying at him. Retaliating with balls of water, he managed to take out all but one wind sphere. It hit him hard, and he winced. "_Damn... Can't get hit too many times with those..._"

"**_NARUTO!_**" Youko yelled out, flying through the air and landing gracefully upon Gamabunta's head.

Naruto turned his attention to the demon beside him. "What?"

Youko smirked. "**_I have a plan, but I'll need your summon to get as close to this badger demon as possible. Will you help?_**"

Naruto blinked, thought heavily for a moment before nodding his head. "Okay Boss! Get as close to Gaara as possible!"

"_Okay, brat_."

Youko allowed himself a small smile when he saw Naruto's look after being called a brat. Wiping the smile off his face, he prepared himself as Gamabunta ran at Shukaku. Jumping off when Gamabunta connected his sword, Youko stealthily landed next to the sleeping Gaara, Shukaku unaware of his presence. Pulling out a seed, he planted it into one of the grooves on Shukaku's body. Smirking darkly, he quickly jumped back onto Gamabunta before the toad pulled away.

"Did it work?" Naruto asked as he braced himself for Gamabunta's landing.

Youko nodded his head. "All you need to do now is wake up the kid, Naruto. I'll take care of the rest," he said in his tenor voice, his silver hair blowing in the wind.

Naruto nodded his head. "Okay Boss! Go in for another round! I'm gonna wake Gaara up!"

"Right!" Gamabunta said, his froggy eyes narrowing as he jumped forward, sword held forward. They connected, and at that precise moment, Naruto jumped off and punched Gaara in the face.

The sand boy woke up with a start.

"**_NO! I JUST CAME OUT!! I DON'T WANNA GO BAAAaaack..._**"

Gaara glared at Naruto, sending his sand after the surprised boy.

Gamabunta protected Naruto with his tongue and pulled him away from Gaara. "You're turn, fox," he said, looking up at Youko.

"Right." Youko sent his youki out to the seed he planted on Shukaku and activated it. The growth rate was incredible, and even Gamabunta found himself amazed at Youko's skills. The vines covered the entire form of Shukaku and Gaara. Even the demon boy's sand couldn't help him as the vines covered the entire form of Shukaku. Then, to both Naruto and Gamabunta's surprise, the vines in certain places pulled tight, while in other places, loosened. The sight was spectacular as pieces of sand from Shukaku's form burst forth from the loose places, sending sand in every direction.

When Youko deemed his work done, he recalled the vines in a second, planning on retrieving the seed later. After all, it was from the Makai, and was well-known for the strength of its vines and hidden thorns and blades. Yes, blades. No wonder Shukaku burst, no? Anyway...

Gamabunta let loose a sigh. "My work here is done, brat. See ya," he said, disappearing in a puff of smoke, leaving Naruto to fall to the ground.

Youko grabbed Naruto and landed gracefully, eyeing the form of Gaara on the ground. Sighing, he disappeared into the trees to let Naruto deal with Gaara as he wished. Looking down on his stomach, he winced. He'd forgotten about the stomach wound he received from Gaara during the exam... Sighing, he knew that as soon as he turned into a human again, the blood flow would increase. At the moment, in demon form, the blood was blocked by his youki, which was trying to heal the wound. Sending the majority of his youki to his stomach, he watched as it healed slowly. It seemed that Naruto's rate of healing would always be faster than his... Then an idea struck him. Why didn't he learn one of the healing ninjutsu there had to be out there? That was an idea...

Naruto stood shakily on his feet, watching as Gaara stood from the ground and glared at him.

Thoughts of his childhood running through his mind, Gaara stared up at the sky listlessly.

"The pains of being all alone..." Naruto began, eyes pained and blood and dirt all over his pace, "It's so great... You're feelings... I know them so much it hurts..."

Gaara's eyes were wide, mouth open as he stared at Naruto.

"But I have precious people now... I won't let you hurt them... Even if I have to kill you... You won't touch them!" Naruto said, pupils slitting.

"Why... why do you go so far for others?" Gaara asked, uncomprehending.

"They saved me from that lonely hell and acknowledged me..."

'So that's why he's strong...' Gaara thought.

Youko watched from the trees as Gaara's teammates jumped down to stand by him.

"That's enough... I'm done," Gaara said, and was picked up by Kankuro and Temari, then taken off.

Naruto stood there, watching, before swaying on his feet. Youko caught him before he tipped over and fell. "**_Will you be able to walk? _**" Youko asked.

Naruto shook his head and rubbed his eyes. "I think I'll be okay. What about you?" he asked, turning his head to look at Youko's face.

Youko managed a small and weak smile. "**_If I continue to burn up youki as I am now, I'm going to faint. I can't maintain this form any longer, and if I'm not careful, my curse seal will regain chakra and attack my chakra and youki while it's weak..._**"

Naruto blinked. "So... you have, like, 3 chakra sources or something?"

Youko nodded. "**_Something like that. When I use the curse seal until there is no chakra left to attack my REAL chakra, then I can use it, or my youki_**."

"So... where's your chakra go and that youki stuff you're talking about?" Naruto asked as they started making their way back to Konoha at a slow rate..

"**_A strange seal in my forehead_**," Youko said, showing the glowing gold fox symbol that took up a good three centimeters square.

"Whoa..." Naruto said.

"**_Naruto..._**"

"Yea?"

"**_Can you get me back to Konoha?_**"

"Why?"

"_**I'm almost out of youki... and **when I go hu_man again..."

"What?"

Youko's form started to change as Naruto watched with wide eyes. First the silver hair turned red, then the gold eyes largened slightly and changed to an emerald green. The fox seal turned red before blinking out to inactive black.

Naruto's nose twitched as he smelt... blood. Looking around, he saw Kurama's stomach suddenly start bleeding like a river, staining his entire front in seconds. Eyes wide, he turned his gaze to Kurama's eyes, which were pained and half-lidded, fighting to stay conscious. "Don't worry," Naruto said, determined not to lose someone who was so akin to him, "I'll get you to Konoha."

oOo


	36. Chapter ThirtySix

Kurama in Narutoland

oOo

Chapter Thirty-six

oOo

Kakashi sighed as he eyed the carnage before his eyes. Blood and body parts of all sorts were strewn about the place. It truly was a sad sight. Their Hokage dead, killed by none other than Orochimaru, the bastard. Not only that, but Naruto had yet to return with Kurama. Shikamaru had returned a while ago with his father, as well as Shino and his father.

"Kakashi-sensei?"

The silver haired jounin blinked. "Yes, Sakura?"

"The fight's over... isn't it?"

"Yes." Kakashi said, gazing out onto the bloody city, a small smile tugging at lips hidden by mask. "For now, at least."

oOo

Kurama was breathing heavily, and had just woken up. He'd found himself on Naruto's back, being carried piggy-back style. Barely managing to open an eye, he winced at the pain in his stomach. It had finally caught up with him, now that the heat of battle had ended. Mumbling something intelligible, he finally called Naruto's attention to him.

"Kurama? Are you okay?"

Kurama would have rolled his eyes, had he the energy. 'Of course I'm not alright you idiot...' "Just... k-keep... wa... walking..." he managed to get out, trying to focus his brain on something intelligently. A haze had settled over his mind, and he couldn't completely comprehend what was going on.

"Don't worry, Kurama, I'll get you to Konoha," Naruto said, a determined look on his face. He knew they were almost there... he could smell the blood. It was thick in the air, and had aroused the demon within him slightly.

oOo

Kakashi's head snapped upwards as he sensed the approach of two weakened auras. Disappearing in a puff of smoke, leaving a baffled Sakura and an unruffled Sasuke behind. 'Naruto... Kurama... You two better be alright...'

It was not to be.

Kakashi's eyes widened when he found an incredibly tired Naruto trying to carry Kurama the last little stretch to the outer edges of the village. "Naruto!" he called, jumping down in front of him.

A relieved grin met the jounin. "Kakashi-sensei! Kurama's injured... please, help him..." the boy managed before tipping forward, unconscious.

Kakashi caught both him and Kurama. Peeling the two apart, he was shocked at the sight of Kurama's stomach wound. His eyes widened as he took a quick look over it. It was serious. Summoning forth a dog, he placed Naruto on its back and carried Kurama himself. The two of them, dog and master, quickly made their way to the Konoha Hospital.

oOo

_Darkness._

_Pain._

_Conflict..._

_Why the fighting?_

_Why were they... fighting?_

_Wait... the three..._

_One is wrong._

_Wrong._

_Very, very wrong._

_It should not be there._

_It shouldn't._

_Why is it?_

_Why?_

_With the two working together..._

_Why won't the third be defeated?_

_Why does it return?_

_Purify..._

_Purify it..._

_Get rid of it..._

_Destroy..._

_DESTROY IT!!_

Kurama woke with a start. Blinking rapidly. 'What was that just now? That strange voice... no, feeling... it...' Kurama shook his head lightly. He couldn't describe it, even to himself. It felt like some... underlying... 'thing'... Growling in frustration at the inability to explain to even HIMSELF how he felt, he tried to sit up. Immense pain met him, and he was quick to lie back down.

_Annoyance_

Kurama blinked. There was that alien... THING... again... It wasn't a voice... it wasn't entirely an emotion either... it wasn't even a conscious 'thing'... what was it? WHAT WAS IT?

_Poison..._

_Purify..._

Kurama frowned. Purify what? What poison? He was poisoned?

_Purify..._

"I see you're feeling better?" a voice said, seemingly wanting to get in-between Kurama and his thoughts.

_Annoying human_

Kurama frowned at the 'thing'. "No. My stomach hurts," he said, a bit of ice in his voice.

"That is to be expected, especially with that wound you managed to sustain."

"Who are you?" Kurama asked, voice ice.

"I am a doctor," the voice said, walking forward into Kurama's range of sight.

Kurama eyed the man with cold eyes.

The short black-haired doctor smiled at Kurama and asked, "Someone wishes to see you, will you allow them in?"

Kurama blinked. "Sure."

The doctor nodded his head and walked out the door. Soon, a blond-haired ball of energy shot into the room and jumped on Kurama, knocking the breath out of him.

"KURAMA!! Are you alright??! Are you still hurt??! Does your stomach hurt??!" Naruto said so quickly that it sent Kurama's mind reeling... from the pain and the unintelligible words.

_Strange creature..._

"No, I'm not healed. And I would prefer it if you got of my stomach... sooner rather than later," Kurama said, trying to ignore the 'thing'.

"Sorry!" Naruto said, jumping off Kurama and scratching the back of his head uncomfortably.

Kurama shook his head, still feeling at the end of his mind something foreign... 'It probably has something to do with that 'thing'... what am I going to call it, anyway...?'

"Kurama?" a voice called from the doorway.

Kurama sat up, with the help of Naruto, and smiled at Neji. The Hyuuga was standing there emotionlessly. "Naruto? I'll come see you later okay? I'd like to speak with my teammate."

Naruto grinned. "Kay!" he said enthusiastically and ran from the room. 'Finally... another person with a demon... and unlike Gaara, I can talk to him about it.' Gaara was just plain strange to Naruto, although they were the same, they were also so very different.

Neji shut the door behind Naruto and locked it. Walking up to Kurama, he slipped gracefully onto the bed and straddled the redhead. "I missed you," he said simply, leaning in quickly for a mind-blowing kiss.

Kurama moaned into the kiss, wrapping his arms around Neji and pulling the boy against him gently, mindful of his wound. When the two finally pulled apart, Kurama smiled. "I missed you too. Too bad you missed all the action, ne?" he said, smiling with his eyes closed.

Neji's eyes narrowed as he grabbed Kurama's chin and forced him to open his eyes and look at him. "I was worried about you. Why did you go off after that Gaara person?"

Kurama shook his head gently. "Orders. As a tool, I must put myself to good use. That is the way of Shinobi."

Neji blinked before asking, "Is that how I sound when I go on a rant about destiny?"

Kurama started laughing, ignoring the annoyed look on Neji's face. "You sound worse, actually."

Neji's mouth opened to argue, but Kurama silenced him with another kiss.

A knock sounded on the door, and Kurama sighed. "Why is it that we're ALWAYS interrupted?" he asked softly before Neji got up to answer the door.

"What?" Neji asked when he opened the door.

He was met with the sight of Gai.

And so, weirdness ensues.

"KURAMA! ARE YOU ALRIGHT?!!" Gai shouted theatrically.

Kurama couldn't resist the urge to roll his eyes. "I'm going to be fine in a few days, Gai-sensei.

Gai had tears streaming down his face as he went into a rather long lecture about... um... what the hell WAS he lecturing about anyway?

Kurama blinked when the end finally came, wondering what the hell the man had just said. It was probably irrelevant, so he thanked Gai for his 'get well gift' (a bouquet of flowers) and then promptly booted him out of the room. "A person can get no peace nowadays."

Neji laughed lightly and asked Kurama how his wounds had healed so far.

Kurama blinked and looked down at his stomach... which was basically one big patch of bandage. "I honestly have no clue. Why don't you check, Neji? You're the Hyuuga here," Kurama said with amusement colouring his voice.

Neji blushed lightly, but did as told. To his surprise, the wound was healing as he watched, and was almost completely done. "It's... healing as we speak. Almost finished, actually..."

Kurama smiled. "Great! Then I can get out of here soon!"

oOo

Kurama sighed as he shut the door to his and Kakashi's home. He had visited Naruto earlier that day, and the two of them had had a rather quiet discussion in Naruto's apartment about demons and the natures of them. Kurama had tried to answer as many of Naruto's questions as he could, and the two of them had made an agreement to meet up again another time so Kurama could meet Naruto's demon and talk to it. All considered, it had been a pleasant time, and Kurama enjoyed Naruto's rather obnoxious company.

Now he was at home again, his stomach completely healed. It was five days since the death of the Sandaime, and Kurama was left feeling lost without the old man... He needed a Hokage to give him orders. After all, he had pledged allegiance to the old man and any other Hokage to come after him. But without a Hokage, he felt strangely disconnected from the Ninja society...

It was a good thing that Jiraiya came by to tell him of their approaching departure.

"What? I'm leaving Konoha with you?" Kurama asked, blinking rapidly at the white-haired man standing at his doorstep.

"Yes. It was one of the last wishes of Sarutobi. You will be coming along with Naruto and I, in search of a new Hokage. On the way, we'll be training. Get your things together, and bring what you need the most. I'll come by tomorrow morning to pick you up," Jiraiya said before poofing out of existence.

Kurama blinked. Well, that definitely wasn't a lot of time to say goodbye, now was it? Sighing, he went back inside and stripped down. Removing all his weights, he smirked evilly at the idea of seeing Neji...

After removing all his weights, he hid them under the comforter of his bed and clothed himself again. Afterwards, he disappeared from his room with a poof, intending to meet up with Neji and 'say goodbye'.

The sun was slowly beginning to set as Kurama arrived at the Hyuuga household. Knocking on the door, he was faced with one of the 'guards.'

"What is your business here?" the stony Hyuuga asked.

Kurama kept his face calmly clear of emotion and replied in his soft voice, "I would like to see Neji of the branch."

The Hyuuga nodded his head and led Kurama inside the two doors. They walked along a path within the place. It truly was huge. Houses everywhere, gardens, Hyuugas... Soon they came to a training ground, and Kurama watched as Neji practiced fighting with another young Hyuuga boy. Their moves were graceful and swift, almost completely identical in the style, although Neji incorporated a few of Gai's moves in now and then.

Neji's attention swayed to Kurama when he spotted the redhead standing a little ways away. He earned a few closed tenketsus for his blunder. Quickly taking out the other Hyuuga, he walked over to meet with Kurama.

"I see you're training as hard as ever," Kurama said, smiling slightly.

Neji only smirked and ignored the watching eyes of the older Hyuuga. "What are you here for, Kurama?"

Kurama smiled mysteriously. "I'll be leaving Konoha soon, I just wanted to say goodbye."

Neji blinked, staring at Kurama like he had just grown another head. "You're leaving? Why? With whom?" he asked, rather too quickly for his own comfort but hey, his boyfriend was leaving!!

"I really don't know how long I'll be gone for. As for whom, that's a secret. And why... that's a secret too," Kurama said, smirking cockily, which earned him a punch in the face from Neji. The Hyuuga was soon rubbing his fist.

"Christ! What the hell ARE you made of?!! Metal?!!" Neji asked, gritting his teeth.

The other Hyuuga raised an eyebrow at the display of emotion, and decided to go inform Hiashi of this 'new' Neji.

Neji glared at the main house member before grabbing Kurama by the scruff and dragging him out of Hyuuga territory.

Kurama was smiling like an idiot, and couldn't really help himself. He was going to show Neji his skill... hehheh

Neji dragged Kurama to a little creek, and settled down on the shore-line. Kurama watched the Hyuuga with curious eyes.

"Kurama..."

"Yes?"

"Why do you have to... go?"

"To train and for other reasons I cannot say."

Neji turned and watched Kurama with saddened eyes. "You're leaving? Just like that..."

Kurama smiled. "I will be back, Neji. Don't worry."

The Hyuuga nodded his head and breathed deeply.

"However, before I leave... I'd like to give you a little present," Kurama said, eyes shadowed.

Neji blinked. "Present? What kind of present?"

"Do you want to know?"

Neji nodded.

Kurama spread out his senses, and after making sure no one was in the vicinity, he crawled towards Neji and gently pushed him to the ground. After wards, he straddled the boy and started kissing his delicious mouth.

Continuation of lemon on the following url: h t t p : a d u l t f a n . n e x c e s s . n e t / a f f / s t o r y . p h p ? n o 3 7 3 1 9


	37. Chapter ThirtySeven

**Kurama in Narutoland**

oOo

Chapter Thirty-seven:

oOo

Disclaimer: The majority of the conversation between characters (except Kurama) will be almost entirely copied from the manga text. To those who don't like that, too bad.

Oh, and we're skipping the 'Itachi shows up for the first time ever' part of the manga.

"EH?!! WHY?! Why do I have to go on a work trip with a pervert sennin?! Why should I go? And what for?!" Naruto asked Jiraiya as they walked down the streets of Konoha.

"Because it's a paid-for work trip. We're supposed to find a certain girl. It's also a 'special' trip. We'll stop by the Red Light District in Hima. You will learn much more than what Kakashi has taught you," Jiraiya said, trying to be persuasive.

"I don't want to and I want Kakashi-sensei to teach me the chidori. NOPE..." Naruto said with an annoyed look, arms behind his head. 'Don't think that's going to work on me.'

"And also this woman. She's so hot! She wants to meet you!" Jiraiya said, leaning down and looking at Naruto with a sly look.

"You're trying to fool me you perverted sennin!! Whatever you say! I DON'T WANT TO!!"

"Ha... she knows a technique even more amazing than the chidori. Did you know that? But you're not coming... I guess I'll have Sasuke accompany me instead..." Jiraiya said, walking ahead of Naruto.

"ALL RIGHT! LET'S GO!!" Naruto shouted excitedly. "I'm going to my house to pack up my things!! Pervert-sennin... Don't leave without me!!!"

Jiraiya laughed evilly after Naruto ran off, sweatdropping slightly. "Really... he is such a cute brat..." he said, rubbing his head. "Oh well... might as well go get Kurama..."

oOo

Kurama stared at his packed bag. Inside were four changes of clothing, around ten or so boxers, and another outfit he had found in town that day. It was meant for long missions, made of very strong materials, and had many pockets to put things in. The black cargo pants were baggy, but not overly so, and had a pocket specially made for a kunai holster or a shuriken holster on the side of the thigh. The net shirt was made of a strong fabric, and had many thin metal wires running along the threads for extra strength. The vest was the coolest part. It hung open on a person down to mid-thigh, dark and light green flame mingling and licking up the bottom. The main colour of it was a dark bloody red, almost black and it had two stylish looking pockets on the front that could be used to store anything from scrolls to medicine. Kurama had purchased a tank top to go over the net shirt, however, to almost entirely hide the metal plate on his chest and back. The arm guards had to be revealed, but it wasn't that big of a deal. For shoes, he had bought expensive hiking boots that had a lot of ankle support because of how high they were made. The material used to make the shoes and laces was strong, durable, and in style.

Smirking to himself, Kurama went over everything else he had in his mind. 'I'm almost out of money, I've got a few emergency food pills as well as a first aid kit. Soldier pills for in the pocket of my vest... a few blank scrolls that MIGHT come to use for god knows what... and a sword. I love that sword... I'm so glad I bought it,' Kurama thought to himself with a grin.

It truly was a magnificent sword, the craftsmanship incredible. A katana, a little longer than most, incredibly sharp, with a nice grip. It was made out of the strongest alloy the smith could find and get at a reasonable price. The sheath was iron, and had a strange making to it so that every time you sheathed the sword, it remained sharp.

The katana was tied across the top of the bag, and had a strap that was packed away that could hold it on the wearer's back for easy access.

A knock sounded on the door, and Kurama was taken quickly out of his thoughts. 'Time to go already?' he wondered to himself as he went to answer the door. Kakashi wasn't there... for some reason. Kurama wasn't all that worried though...

Kakashi was at the hospital from his encounter with Itachi and Kisame, unbeknownst to Kurama.

"Jiraiya? Is it time to go?" Kurama asked after he opened the door.

Jiraiya nodded his head. "Naruto's packing right now. Are you done?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Kurama smiled. "Of course. I finished ten minutes ago. I was just doing a look over before you came."

"I see. What did you bring?" Jiraiya asked as Kurama moved aside to let him in.

"Clothes, first-aid kit, my sword, and some emergency food. Why?"

"Just wanted to know. What do you have in this first-aid kit?" Jiraiya asked curiously.

"Needles, bandages, disinfectant for wounds, healing salve, soldier pills, string for stitches... that kind of stuff," Kurama said, going to his room to retrieve his bag.

Jiraiya blinked. "Wow, you're prepared. You gonna be our medic?"

Kurama smiled. "Why not? I don't know a lot about that stuff, but I know enough to be useful if I am needed," Kurama said, continuing the sentence on in his mind, 'And unlimited plants to help me...'

"Good. Do you think Naruto is done by now?" Jiraiya asked, looking out the window at the sky.

"Knowing him, he'll bring everything but the kitchen sink..."

And that's exactly what he did.

"LET'S GO!!!" Naruto shouted, a pack his height and four times his volume set down beside him.

Kurama's eyes widened. "How the hell can you walk with that?" he asked, an eyebrow raised at the boy who was struggling to take a few steps.

"Are you really serious about this... You're bringing everything you have. Aren't we just going for a trip..." Jiraiya said, sweatdropping. 'Man, Kurama was right about that...'

After getting rid of the majority of Naruto's 'crap', as Kurama had so bluntly put it, they went on their way.

oOo

"Hey Pervert-sennin, what sort of jutsu are you going to teach me this time?" Naruto asked eagerly, catching Kurama's attention.

However, Jiraiya ignored him completely.

"**Pervert-sennin**..." Naruto said, irritated.

"Hey you, don't you know what an amazing person I am? Eh?" Jiraiya asked, annoyed. "It's been said that I'm the Toad Sennin. And that's not all. In the north, in the south, east and west... The legendary three ninja's white haired frog-summoning child! The handsome man that can silence a crying child! HE'S JIRAIYA-SAMA! That's me!" Jiraiya said, striking a rather comical pose.

Kurama blinked. "More like make a crying child scream," he commented cynically.

Jiraiya's jaw dropped comically as Naruto started laughing his ass off, rolling on the ground.

Kurama snickered to himself.

"And I thought you were the respectful one..." Jiraiya said, his expression still comical.

Kurama only smirked and replied, "Now look what you got yourself into." He then walked on, leaving a shocked Jiraiya and a grounded Naruto behind.

oOo

"Hey, Pervert-sennin-"

"My name is Jiraiya, damn it..."

"-I've got a hidden talent, don't I? Really?"

Jiraiya was silent.

"Hey, hey, why did you choose me? And why did Kurama come along?"

Jiraiya looked sideways, avoiding Naruto's curious gaze. "The Fourth Hokage was my apprentice, and you resemble him in a funny way. That's the reason. Kurama is here on Sandaime's orders, before he died."

'The Fourth Hokage?' Naruto thought to himself

Kurama watched the exchange with hidden interest. 'The yondaime... they resemble eachother? In looks, perhaps? Or maybe their character... funny way... They must be very alike for Jiraiya to word it that way. Maybe Naruto is related to the yondaime?'

oOo

Meanwhile, in Konoha, Sasuke was searching for Kakashi. He found him sleeping in the hospital when another ninja came in.

"Is it true that Itachi came back?! And he was chasing Naruto?!"

Sasuke's eyes widened before he dashed out the door. 'He came back... and he's chasing Naruto?! Why did he say that?' Sasuke thought before skidding to a stop at Ichiraku. "Old man! Naruto usually comes here for lunch. After that do you know where he went?!"

"Ah, Naruto. Jiraiya-san came and ate with him here. He said where he was going. Let's see... He was going to leave town for a bit, take a cattle-road down to the hotel-town or something... Jiraiya-san took him along when he left."

"Jiraiya?!" Sasuke asked, his face peculiarly clear of emotion.

"A great ninja. The Three's Jiraiya. Spotting him is easy. A big white-haired man."

oOo

"What a peculiar town..." Kurama commented, and Naruto nodded, his head flashing from side to side to check out the place.

"Naruto, Kurama, today we're staying here," Jiraiya said, then something caught his attention.

Both Jiraiya and Naruto made scary happy faces at the sight of a beautiful young lady, who winked at them.

Jiraiya grinned. "Kurama! Here's the key. Go up to your room, with Naruto, and refine your chakra straining."

"WHAT?!" Naruto exclaimed. "You Pervert-sennin!"

Kurama dragged Naruto up to their room, giving Jiraiya a look that said 'be wary' before leaving. He sensed something wrong...

"What's this?! This sort of thing is always happening with Pervert-sennin. My training, riiiiight. I can see what he really hand in mind," Naruto ranted to himself, bristling.

"Naruto, do want training, right?"

"Yeah."

"I can train you in chakra control. Although I don't know a lot of jutsu, I can at least help you in that aspect so you can LEARN jutsu faster in the future," Kurama offered.

"Really?" Naruto asked eagerly.

"Yes. Do you want to go do this now?"

"HELL YEA!!" Naruto exclaimed, and the two of them left.

Itachi and Kisame just missed them.

oOo

"Shoot. There are a lot of buildings. I can't go to them all one by one," Sasuke said to himself. Approaching an in, he asked, "Is there a blond stupid-faced guy about my age and a large white-haired old man staying here?"

"Hm... Yeah, I think I know the people you're looking for."

"Which room?"

oOo

Kurama frowned. They had just barely escaped those two menacing auras. What did they want? Regardless, Kurama had to get Naruto and him to a safe spot immediately. Those two were dangerous...

_Evil..._

There was that strange THING again. What the hell was it, anyway?

_Idiot..._

Kurama blinked.

_Want... idiot..._

Was it just him or was that 'feeling' starting to resemble words in his mind?

_Kyuubi..._

That was definitely a word... Kurama shrugged off the nagging feeling at the back of his mind and returned to the problem at hand. Sensing the two on their trail, he grabbed Naruto by the hand and dashed out of town, into the forest. His territory.

oOo

Sasuke knocked on the door. When it opened slightly, he pulled it open and yelling, "NARUTO!" He was met with a weird look from a blond kid and an old geazer. After seeing that they were obviously not Naruto and Jiraiya, he ran off. 'He is close by.'

oOo

"Naruto..."

"Yeah?"

"For now, I want you to do exactly what I say, no exceptions, okay? Please?"

Naruto thought for a moment. "Why?"

"Just, please, Naruto. Trust me," Kurama said, looking into Naruto's eyes.

"... Okay."

"Thank you."

oOo

"Where could he have gotten to, Itachi?" Kisame asked, examining the room more closely.

Itachi was silent, watching the area. Spreading out his senses, he searched for the kid's chakra... Finding it, he dashed off to the right, following the fresh trail. Kisame followed behind.

oOo

Kurama stopped for a moment, and let go of Naruto's wrist. However, the blond was soon picked up and carried through the woods by Kurama, who knew the boy was too slow.

Naruto, about to make indignant noise about the situation, was quickly shut up by Kurama, who whispered, "Silence..."

Nodding his head, Naruto pouted in Kurama's arms. Soon they arrived by a creek. There, Kurama traveled upstream a ways and came to a conjunction. Turning left, he then went downstream, making no marks in the creek with his feet. Absolute stealth. He'd hidden his trail well. After a while, he jumped out of the creek and landed on a tree smoothly, and flashed thorugh the forest once again.

oOo

Uchiha Itachi was irritated. There should have been no way for the brats to know they were coming, yet it seemed as if they were doing everything to keep Itachi off their trail... Or rather, one of them was. Most likely the redhead. Naruto's foot prints were so obvious and easy to track it was sad. However, Itachi was surprised when Naruto's tracks suddenly disappeared, leaving nothing behind but a slight indent in the dirt from a person lighter on their feet. They tracked that person to the creek, and Itachi swore under his breath.

"How? How could genin get away from us so well? They should not have such stealth and knowledge of hiding their trail," Kisame commented.

Itachi said nothing, wondering which way they went. If he were a kid, he would go downstream, it was easier to walk. However, if he were an intelligent strategist... he would go downstream just to fool his enemy... Itachi immediately recognized the circle of thought and decided to just go upstream. Soon they came to a fork, and Itachi followed a hunch, and went downstream...

oOo

Kurama sensed the two auras growing closer, following his untraceable 'trail'. 'How? How they hell did they manage to follow me this far?' Kurama wondered to himself. Taking in a deep breath, he jumped straight at a large tree and commanded it to open up like the one during the second exam. It split apart like some alive 'creature' and 'ate' them.

"Kurama? Why are we in a tree?"

"Quiet, Naruto. This is the most important time to not utter a word or make a sound. Silence... silence..." Kurama said soothingly with his voice, Naruto still in his arms. The tree could grow leaves on the inside to change the carbon dioxide with oxygen inside their little cave, so Kurama wasn't worried about suffocating... no, he was worried about that evil chakra that stood right beside them right at that moment.

oOo

Itachi frowned. All trace of the two was gone, from the scent of roses, to physical trail. They just disappeared. Poof. Gone. Glaring coldly, he punched his fist into a nearby tree and broke it down out of anger. He wasn't pleased.

Inside the tree next to it, Kurama paled at the close call. The tree he was inside was frightened as well, with these predators in the vicinity.

"How do we find them?" Kisame asked.

Itachi shook his head. "I don't know. They've disappeared entirely. Something no shinobi can do, no matter how good. That means that they are here somewhere. We just have to find them.

Kurama swore in his mind. They were probably gonna start chopping down trees or something. Using his sick chakra carefully, he moved them downards to the base of the tree, where roots were. Expanding one of the main roots, they slowly slid down the tunnel because of all the liquids that were in this area.

Feeling rather sticky and dirty, Kurama relaxed as the tunnel closed above them. He could feel Naruto staring at him, probably becoming phobic of the small space. Placing his forehead against Naruto's, he created a direct link of thoughts.

)Naruto, you and I will be fine. I'm going to put us in a coma-like state so we use next to no air. We'll go into a state of suspended animation. Are you ready?(

)What the fuck IS this?!(

)Telepathic communication. Quite easy to do once you've mastered it. Now, we're going into a coma in three seconds...(

)Aw shit...(

Kurama knocked Naruto out and used his sick chakra to make a small tree in the area for a source of oxygen. It wouldn't last forever, but it would do for then.

Next, he to fell into a coma... Hopefully, he'd wake up again...


	38. Chapter ThirtyEight

**Kurama in Narutoland**

oOo

Chapter Thirty-eight:

oOo

Jiraiya swore. The girl he had gone off with earlier slung over his shoulder, unconscious. "Shit. Itachi puts a genjutsu on the girl, and now they're gone. Did they get Naruto? There's no sign of a struggle... SHIT!" Placing the girl in his room, Jiraiya quickly took off after Itachi's trail.

The only thought running through his mind was, 'I hope I'm not too late...'

oOo

Kurama woke up to find himself within a long corridor. Water covered the ground up to his ankles, and pipes ran along the roof. 'Where the hell am I?' he wondered to himself.

"Kurama? What are you doing here?" Naruto asked, standing behind the redhead.

Kurama blinked and turned around. "I don't know, I just woke up here," he said softly.

Naruto was silent for a moment before asking, "You want to see Kyuubi?"

Kurama blinked. Wasn't that what the 'thing' had 'said'? Kyuubi... they want Kyuubi... Nodding his head, he followed Naruto to the end of the corridor. They were met with a gigantic cage with a seal on the two gates.

"**_What do you want, foolish brat?_**" a loud and dangerous voice echoed.

"I want you to meet a friend of mine. Kurama, this is Kyuubi, the stupid fox as I call him."

"**_Shut up, whelp._**"

"It is an honor to meet you," Kurama said, bowing slightly.

The Kyuubi was shocked into silence at the show of respect. "**_What are you...?_**" he asked warily.

Kurama smiled before summoning forth his sick chakra. It churned around him in a sickly disorder, but Kurama was quick to, literally, burn it all away. He expended it without a use, and soon he was left with none of it. 'I got to remember that for the real world,' Kurama thought to himself. Summoning forth his youki, he quickly changed his form to that of Youko Kurama.

"****"

"**_I am like yourself, Kyuubi._**"

Naruto blinked suddenly. "Hey Kurama, why is it that you're so pretty in that form?"

Youko sweatdropped. "**_Christ, stupid humans..._**" he muttered under his breath. "**_WHY THE HELL DO YOU THINK I'M PRETTY?!!_**"

Naruto took a step back from the emotionally unstable youko.

Youko took a breath and rubbed his temples. "**_Damnit. I'm getting a headache._**"

"You're also meaner in your demon form..." Naruto said, frowning.

Youko couldn't stop the laughter from bubbling up in his chest and escaping. "**_What did you expect, Naruto? In this form my thought pattern changes. That's the way it works for me. However, you don't work that way because you and Kyuubi are separate entities. I AM the demon, there is no human soul within me, although I have human emotions._**"

Kyuubi was silent for a moment before asking, "**_You understand how humans work?_**"

Youko blinked. "**_Yeah, I do. Sometimes it's a pain in the ass but at times it's also incredibly insightful._**" He shrugged nonchalantly. "**_Some I don't understand, however. They're all so very different._**"

"**_I see..._**"

Suddenly, there was a flash of light, and a beautiful entity came into the light that reached inside the cage. It stepped right past the bars, to both Youko and Naruto's shock. The creature looked slightly like Youko in the basic aspects. Blood red fur and hair, with the hair tied with a band half-way down its length (Yue style from Cardcaptors) with long bangs escaping. The hair reached his shin, and was shiny and sleek. Blood red, slitted eyes glowed with a strange light. He was dressed in a strange outfit composed of very baggy pants that tied at the ankles, slippers, a loose shirt, and a vest that hung down to his knees. All of it was a dark blood red, with strange celtic kinds of designs here and there in gold.

Naruto gulped. "How... How did you get out?" he asked weakly.

Kyuubi smirked. God, was he HOTT. "**_Easily, Naruto. You see, I've always been able to slip out in this form, although only in this part of your mind. I have none of my powers, however._**"

Youko blinked. "**_Like that, you don't seem so much like a monster,_**" he commented absently.

Kyuubi smirked and approached Youko. Reaching out with a hand, he snagged Youko's chin and pulled him into a kiss. The wide-eyed Youko froze, seemingly unable to do anything. Once Kyuubi was done thoroughly tastingYouko, he pulled away and licked his lips. "**_Delicious, just like I thought you would be, Youko..._**" Kyuubi purred, keeping his fingers on Youko's chin.

For those who want a little bit of Kyuubi/Youko, go to the following url: h t t p : a d u l t f a n . n e x c e s s . n e t / a f f / s t o r y . p h p ? n o 3 7 3 5 0

That pwp will have no relation to the story, however. Naruto stared with a comical face at the scene. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING, STUPID FOX!" he shouted, pointing a finger at Kyuubi.

Kyuubi smiled innocently. "**_Nothing, nothing,_**" he said, pulling away from Youko and smirking at Naruto.

The blond boy glared heatedly and muttered under his breath.

"So... What do we do now?" Kurama asked, having changed back into his human form.

Naruto blinked, then shrugged. "I dunno. Someone I have yet to see or sense is after us, and you've gone so far as to trap us in a root and put us in a coma."

Kurama sweatdropped. 'When did Naruto get so smart? He's not supposed to be smart! Bad author! Bad!'

Of course, the author completely ignored him.

"**_Why don't you just go kick those bastard's asses_**?" Kyuubi commented with half-lidded eyes. "**_After all, you seem to think you're invincible, brat_**."

Naruto's expression went comical as he tried to form words.

"No, that's not a good idea. One, because they are out of our league and into Jiraiya's, and two, I don't feel like it," Kurama said.

Naruto sweatdropped at the comment and muttered, "Selfish bastard" under his breath.

"I heard that, Naruto, and yes, I am a selfish bastard. Kitsune tend to be that way, especially ones as vain as me," Kurama said with a wicked smirk.

Kurama closed his eyes suddenly, trying to connect with the mind of something in the vicinity of their unconscious bodies. Sensing darkness in both souls, he steered clear and went in search of Jiraiya. Finding the guy quickly, Kurama wondered what the hell the guy was doing.

)For Christ sake Jiraiya, you're going too far to the left! How the hell do you expect to find us?!( Kurama shouted telepathically to the man.

oOo

Jiraiya jumped when he heard a voice yell in his head. 'What the hell was that?' he wondered, looking around suspiciously.

)I'm talking to you telepathically, Jiraiya, and if you don't steer your course to the right, you're going to pass us by a kilometer. Adjust your course.(

Jiraiya decided to do what the voice said, considering he himself didn't know where he was going.

)To the right more... yep, that's good. Now prepare yourself to meet up with two rather strong enemies. Naruto and I are currently hidden, and will be fine as long as no fires start, okay? Ciao(

Jiraiya blinked. Since when could the brat talk to people mind to mind? Wasn't that considered impossible? Well, perhaps anything was possible when it came to a demon...

oOo

Itachi frowned. Where could the two of them have gone? Becoming frustrated, he slammed his fist into a nearby tree, again. Two trees down, a billion to go.

Kisame watched Itachi with his shark-like eyes. They needed to find Naruto quickly, else they would be discovered.

"Burn the forest," Itachi said, sharingan eyes glowing bloody red. His hands whipped through seals as he performed a forbidden fire technique. "Flame of Darkness no Jutsu!" he called out, spreading his hands before him and lighting the surrounding area on fire. The abnormal fire clung to the trees to which it had been spread, but never went any farther outward that Itachi intended.

Kisame watched, keeping his eyes open for activity.

oOo

Jiraiya's eyes widened when he saw black flame burst to existence not far in front of him. Rushing forward, he thought to himself, 'I'm sorry Kurama, I was too late.'

oOo

Kurama blinked inside Naruto's mind. Soon his eyes narrowed dangerously, and a deadly aura surrounded him. "Naruto, we have a problem. The forest is on fire, and if we don't get out of this root soon, we're going to burn alive."

Naruto's eyes widened. "WHAT?! THEN WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU WAITING FOR! WAKE US THE HELL UP!!"

Kurama closed his eyes.

oOo

Jiraiya burst through the smoke and fire, stopping right in front of Uchiha Itachi. Narrowing his eyes, he quickly performed a water jutsu to put out the flames. Once the surrounding area was free of fire, Jiraiya looked around for any sight of Kurama or Naruto.

The trunk of a burnt tree exploded suddenly, sending many shards of wood all over the place. A shadow jumped from the debris to land by Jiraiya's side.

Kurama landed gracefully on the ground, eyes shadowed, Naruto's unconscious form in his arms. "Jiraiya, I thought I said no fire?" Kurama said softly, turning slightly to keep Itachi and Kisame in his line of sight.

Jiraiya rubbed his head, laughing uncomfortably. "Sorry about that, Kurama. Didn't get here in time."

Kurama nodded his head, and lied Naruto down on the ground.

"I presume you are here for Naruto," Jiraiya said, expression serious, "Uchiha Itachi."

The black haired man said nothing, and only stared at Jiraiya with his sharingan eyes.

Kurama placed two fingers to Naruto's forehead and sent a jolt of youki to his brain to wake him up.

Naruto's eyes shot open and his body arched for a moment before relaxing. The dazed boy sat up, rubbing his head, oblivious to the surprised eyes that stared at him and Kurama. "God... I feel like I was run over by a rabid bear..."

"Merely sideaffects," Kurama said, helping Naruto to his feet.

The blonde blinked in confusion before whispering to Kurama, "Are those the two following us?"

"Yes."

There was a silence for a few moments before Itachi suddenly said, "It has been awhile... Sasuke."

"Itachi... I will... KILL YOU!!" Sasuke said, eyes narrowed and angry.

"Sharingan. You seem to be familiar with Itachi... Who is this guy?" Kisame asked Itachi.

"He is... my younger brother."

Naruto's eyes widened, and Kurama remained impassive.

"I heard the entire Uchiha clan was wiped out... By you..." Kisame said.

Naruto's mind flashed back to the time they had met and when Sasuke had thrown himself in front of Naruto in Mist. A lightbulb went on in Naruto's head. 'The man that he has to kill...'

Itachi and Sasuke stared at eachother.

"I've been wanting to say this to you... I've lived hating you... And I've lived only to kill you..." Sasuke said, power flaring as he formed a chidori. "I HAVE LIVED FOR THIS!!" he yelled, charging at Itachi.

Kurama watched as Sasuke's left hand tore apart the ground as he ran at Itachi. However, the older Uchiha merely caught the wrist, and a huge explosion resulted, blowing apart a few trees nearby.

"You are in the way," Itachi said, before breaking both Sasuke's wrists.

Sasuke cried out in pain, cradling his wrists to his chest.

With a burst of youki, Kurama had roots that were still alive under ground burst from the soil and pull Sasuke under. This caused confused expressions as they looked around for an enemy. Kurama allowed a small smirk to come to his face before he sent the roots after Itachi and Kisame. Itachi burnt them to a crisp, however. 'How irritating,' Kurama thought. Reaching into his hair, he pulled out a makai seed. The movement drew attention to him, but he didn't care. With a flick of his wrist, he sent the seed in Itachi's direction. Before the Uchiha could burn it, Kurama made it grow in a split second, revealing a hideous monster of a plant that breathed fire.

A wide eyed Itachi and Kisame jumped out of the way, and made a quick temporary retreat.

Jiraiya stared at Kurama. "What the hell IS that thing?"

"Fire breathing plant. What does it look like?" Kurama said, transforming the huge thing back into a seed and tucking it into his hair with practiced ease.

Naruto blinked. "Is that your demonic ability?" he asked rather softly.

Kurama blinked, and Jiraiya turned to look at Naruto. "Yes, that is my ability. I control plants."

"Do I have an ability?"

Kurama gracefully turned to look at the curious blonde. 'Could he have an elemental ability or something else?' he wondered absently. "I'm not sure, Naruto. I'd have to test you to find out, and we don't have time for that. We'll find out after the new Hokage is found."

Naruto nodded his head.

Kurama smiled at him gently. 'Once this matter is resolved, I will train you, Naruto. Jiraiya may be training you now, but he is human, and cannot help you in certain aspects,' he thought to himself as he retrieved the unconscious Sasuke from the ground and slung the boy over his shoulder.

When he turned back to Jiraiya and Naruto, he was just in time to see a strange bowl-cut haired man kick him right in the face. He burst out laughing, unable to help himself, as Jiraiya went flying into a dead tree.

"Oh! Sorry Jiraiya!" Gai said sheepishly. "I was using my head protector to see, and didn't realize your head was so low to the ground."

This elicited a few chuckles from Kurama, who was smiling slightly as he made his way over to the three leaf-nin. "What are you doing here, Gai-sensei?"

Gai blinked. "Oh! Kurama! I should be asking you that," he said with his hands on his hips.

Kurama raised a cool eyebrow. "I'm here with Jiraiya and Naruto, helping them find the fifth Hokage. And you can do me a favor by taking this foolish brat back to Konoha," Kurama said with slightly narrowed eyes, tossing Sasuke to Gai, who caught him smoothly.

"Sasuke? Why is he here?" Gai wondered.

"How should I know? I would think the brothers began to hate eachother at some point..." Kurama said, standing next to Naruto.

Gai nodded his head, eyes serious. "Kakashi is at the hospital at the moment after a confrontation with Itachi. I'll take Sasuke back to Konoha," Gai said with a grin and thumbs up before he flickered out of existence.

Kurama blinked. "Kakashi's at the hospital? Damn. Itachi must be tougher than I first assumed..."

Naruto, who had watched everything take place, looked thoughtful. 'When is Jiraiya going to train me, if we have so many new enemies?'

Jiraiya sighed softly and scratched his head. "Alright you two, we're going back into town. After a good night's rest we're heading out again. I'll start training you two then."

Naruto jumped for joy, a huge grin on his face. "ALRIGHT!!"

Kurama only shook his head with a small smile.

Tomorrow was going to be a long day.

**_Reviews:_**

to **Rikku**: I tried the web address Gaara/Kurama fic myself and it worked. If you still want to read it, then search through adult fan fic tion . n e t (without the spaces) in the naruto section and try to find it. I'm sorry I can't do much else for you.

to **Vashlover9**: I appreciate your point of view on non-yaoi. However, this is a yaoi story, as stated in the summary. I will not be changing that. Thank you for your review!

to **Ai-sama:** I replied to your review via email, however I'm not sure if you recieved the message. Please inform me so in an email or review.

To all my other faithful reviewers, thank you very much for reading my story!!!


	39. Chapter ThirtyNine

**Kurama in Narutoland**

oOo

Chapter Thirty-nine:

oOo

The morning sun shone delicately through the leaves of surrounding foliage, creating a sense of surreal tranquility. A bright smile lit Kurama's face as he examined the assorted plants growing around them. Delicate fingers gently plucked the occasional seed and stored it in crimson locks.

"When are we going to start training?" Naruto asked, irritated.

And thus, the tranquility was broken.

Jiraiya smirked slightly. "Don't get so fired up, we still need to gather information on Tsunade's whereabouts."

Naruto blinked. "Gather information?"

"In this town," Jiraiya said as they looked over the hustle and bustle of a village built into the ground.

"Whoa!" Naruto said, grinning brightly as he looked at all the people and stores.

Kurama only smiled slightly. 'Too bad I spent almost all my money on that new outfit... that I have yet to wear...' Sweatdropping slightly, Kurama followed Jiraiya and Naruto down built into the wall of stone at the edge of the city. It really was quite a nice view, the buildings old compared to those back in his dimension, and far more interesting. Glancing at his backpack, Kurama smiled at the katana strapped to it. He was really quite happy with it, and couldn't wait to test it out and try a few of Hiei's techniques with it. After all, the short fire demon HAD been the one to teach him the finer details of the sword than he had known before dying as Youko. (If anyone doesn't know anything about Yu Yu Hakusho and wants to learn about it, review or email me with your questions.)

"Awesome!" Naruto exclaimed. "This is the first time I've seen something like this!"

"Have a good time doing whatever you want," Jiraiya with a grin.

Kurama shook his head, watching little boys in ANBU outfits running around playing on the streets. He would entertain himself in different ways than spending endlessly. Maybe there was even a medicinal store around here... And with that thought, Kurama blended into the crowd, knowing he'd be able to find Naruto and Jiraiya later.

Wandering around, he spotted several small shops with food, trinkets, and many other assorted goods. Seeing nothing of interest, he kept walking. Eventually, he came across a gambling place. A smirk curled upon his face as he watched rich men go in and poor men come out. Pulling out his purse, Kurama eyed how much money he had left. Around 3000 yen... ($40ish Canadian). Then with a shrug of his shoulders, he placed a serious expression on his face and acted older than he was. Walking into the gambling joint, he eyed the competition with half-lidded drunken eyes. 'Child's play...'

"Hey there," an old man with a greedy smile said, "You wanna gamble?"

Kurama slowly turned his eyes to the man and eyed the circle of men with a relaxed gaze. Shrugging, he walked over to the circle and sat down, placing his backpack beside him and watching it out of the corner of his eye.

"We don't do chips here, only money. You ready?" the man asked Kurama.

Kurama only nodded drunkenly and held his bag of money in his hand.

(I'm gonna make this kind of gambling up, cuz I really don't know how it would work normally.)

"Alright, who wants to challenge this young man first?"

A balding man with a wide girth spoke up, "I do."

The man, who seemed to organize the whole thing, nodded his head and placed to dice in a cup. Shaking it up a bit, he soon slammed it down onto the ground. "Odd or even?"

Kurama thought for a moment. Since he was new, the call was on him. Using a bit of chakra, he sent it out to feel the grooves on the top sides of the dice. "Odd," Kurama said, and used his chakra to make sure the men didn't cheat (like he had) by holding the dice in place.

"Place your bets."

Kurama pretended to be unsure, but dumped out his wallet anyway. There was a little more money in there than he had first thought, but that was okay.

The other man was more confident, however, and placed down a 10 000 yen bill.

Kurama almost blinked in shock. The man was either drunk, liked to flaunt his money, or was incredibly confident that Kurama had no idea of what he was doing. It was probably all of the above, in Kurama's opinion.

The man brought up the cup and surprised everyone with odd. The balding man cursed under his breath as Kurama pulled the money towards him. After doing so, Kurama was quick to excuse himself.

"Where do you think YOUR going?" one of the men said, standing up. "You can't just come in here, win a round, and expect to leave. You have to play longer than that," he said, stepping towards Kurama, who was placing his bag back on his back.

"I do expect so, and I will do so," Kurama said with a smirk, no longer pretending to be drunk. And, with a cocky smirk sent at the shocked men's faces, he slipped out the door and into the crowd. He'd made a pretty penny at that place. However, he didn't want to chance losing it all by gambling again and having someone spot him. That'd really suck.

With a slight smirk on his face, Kurama picked himself up a bite to eat and sensed out Jiraiya and Naruto's chakra signatures. When he found the two, he was surprised to see Jiraiya on a couch with two beautiful women on either side of him, sake bottles in hand. Naruto was also there, and looking at what appeared to be his empty purse in shock.

"WHAT THE HELL?!! I SAVED THAT MONEY SO I COULD SPEND IT!!! WHAT HAPPENED TO THE TRAINING?!!!" Naruto yelled, none too happy.

"N-Naruto, calm down... This is a misunderstanding. L-Listen!"

During his rage, a squid in his hand flew out and hit a business man's suit.

"LOOK WHAT YOU DID! What are you going to do about this, you stupid brat!" dumbass #1 said.

Naruto turned around in surprise.

"You put a stain on Akoki's designer suit!" dumbass #2 said.

"An expensive type of clothing! You better compensate us for this! Give me $100,000 for it!!" said dumbass #1.

"That suit is worth $100,000?!!" Naruto yelled loudly.

"Even if that type of designer suit costs $100,000, it still looks pretty cheap..." Jiraiya commented.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY, YA BASTARD?!! Cheap?! You better not mess with us for your sake!" dumbass #2 yelled, "Akoki is a former chuunin from the stone village. He's a legendary dark-nin and someone to be afraid of. An incredibly skilled ninja!"

"Ah? Legendary... you say?" Jiraiya said.

"I'LL SHOW YOU WHAT REAL PAIN IS!" dumbass #1 yelled, a vein popping out of his ugly forehead.

"Naruto..." Jiraiya began, a smirk on his face, "This technique is what you're going to be learning soon... So take a good look." Jiraiya jumped forward, a whirling mass of chakra in his palm. He quickly slammed it into dumbass #1's stomach. The curling motion of the chakra sent the man bursting backwards, spinning through the air onto the streets.

Kurama raised an eyebrow as he watched the spectacle from right outside the building. He sidestepped the flying men with ease and watched as they crashed into a small cart of water balloons. Turning back to Jiraiya and Naruto, he blinked when he saw dumbass #1's wallet in his hand. 'Not bad...' Kurama thought, a slight smirk on his face, 'Although, if he wanted to steal it, that was no way to do it.'

And of course, all mighty Kurama that I adore and fawn over would know how to PROPERLY steal something. He is the greatest and most gorgeous thief of all time, don't forget...

Jiraiya caught a balloon as it flew through the air, a slightly drunk smile coming across his face. "This is a victory fee I'll be taking," Jiraiya said to the two men unconscious in the mess. To the cart owner, he said, "Sorry about this... Looks like your cart's broken to bits..."

"Just what did you do..." dumbass #1 asked from the ground, completely out of it.

"I just saved you... You guys are weak, you know," Jiraiya said, turning his attention away from his held out money. "Now, old man! Here's payment for the damages and for all the water balloons."

Kurama's eyes narrowed slightly as he watched Jiraiya. 'What in the world was that jutsu? And did I hear that Jiraiya's going to be teaching Naruto that? Will I learn it too?' he wondered to himself.

"Naruto! Kurama! Let's go! Time for training!" Jiraiya said, a smirk on his face.

Kurama nodded his head and readjusted his bag. He followed the two spike-haired weirdoes as they headed out of the small village. Once they were out of the hole in the ground known as the village, Jiraiya stopped their progress and turned to face the two of them.

"I can really feel the graining tension!!" Naruto said intelligently, a fox-like look of determination on his face.

Jiraiya grinned at Naruto before turning to Kurama, thinking over something. "Kurama, would you like to learn this too?" Jiraiya asked curiously.

Kurama smiled and nodded his head. "I'd love to," he said politely.

Jiraiya nodded and tossed the two of them water balloons.

"Huh?! What's up with this thing?" Naruto asked, a little annoyed.

"Did you pay attention to the jutsu I just did?" Jiraiya asked.

"Yep!"

"What did you see in the jutsu?"

Kurama smirked. 'The force and spin of the chakra not only pushed them back, but sent them spinning across the street,' he answered in his head. He didn't want to give Naruto all the answers, and this jutsu was obviously for him to learn in the first place.

"Somehow... those guys were spinning around wildly..."

Jiraiya smirked cockily. Holding out a hand with a water balloon in it, he started to spin his chakra inside of it. "From a normal point of view, it would seem that way. They spun..."

And with a splash, Jiraiya made the water balloon blow up.

Kurama watched closely, noting the deformities in the water balloon just before it exploded.

"You've learned tree climbing, which required you to maintain your chakra level by focusing your mind, and keeping that concentration. With the water walking, you learned to release a set amount of chakra continuously. I taught you the second. And so, with this one you should use what you learned from water walking. Spin the water around!"

"The chakra with a continuous flow..." Naruto said, thinking rather hardly.

"Well, to fully understand the jutsu means you must be able to read the elements and predict the outcome. First, use the principles of tree climbing to maintain a moderate amount of chakra in your hands, and use the water walking principles to release that set amount continuously," Jiraiya said.

Kurama smiled slightly. Reading elements was easy for him, and he'd already done much water walking and other chakra control practices.

"I get it! Okay, until this water balloon is about to boil, do the spinning water training!" Naruto said enthusiastically.

"You'll eventually get good at this! All right... LET'S TRAIN TILL NIGHTIME!" Jiraiya yelled out.

"HELL YEAH!!"

Kurama only smiled and eyed his balloon curiously. Deformities... and make it burst... He'd work on it later that night when Jiraiya and Naruto were asleep. For the moment, he'd run to build up his stamina and let his mind mull over the technique. What was it called, anyway...

oOo

Naruto sat up in bed with half lidded eyes, his cute night cap on his head that kinda looked like a santa hat... Wandering into the halls of the hotel, he blinked at a meowing cat at his feet.

"Hey! Get down from there," a janitor called to the cat.

"Where's the toilet...?" Naruto asked groggily, farm from wide awake.

Once he was done, he watched the water of the toilet spin down...

oOo

Kurama opened his eyes slowly. Blinking, he sat up, instantly wide awake. Where was he anyway... Looking around, he quickly spotted the morning sun shining over the tree tops. Had he slept outside? Bringing a hand to his face, he rubbed any left over sleepiness from it and reopened his eyes. Finding himself on a tree with his water balloon safely on his lap, he wondered where Jiraiya and Naruto were. Turning to the building beside him, he saw Naruto through the window, leaving the room to go to the bathroom.

When had he gotten into the tree? Sleeping in the tree... That sounded too Hiei'ish. Shaking his head slightly, he stood up gracefully and hopped into the open window. Sitting on the window sill, still completely dressed (and feeling rather yucky), Kurama watched Jiraiya as he slept, a stupid expression on his face... Wait, didn't he ALWAYS have that expression on his face? ... Kinda like Naruto...

Naruto came back into the room with a grin on his face.

"I DID IT! I GOT THE WATER TO SPIN!!" Naruto yelled with a determined grin on his face.

Kurama watched Naruto brag with an amused smile on his face.

"I can break this without thinking! It'll be so dam easy!" he yelled out.

"Well, I'll be back after I catch some sleep," Jiraiya said nonchalantly.

"How could you be in the mood for a nap now!" Naruto said with a pleased grin on his face.

Jiraiya smiled at Naruto as he glanced back.

Kurama couldn't help but say in his head, 'Yeah, Jiraiya. How COULD you be in the mood for sleep? Even if you are, it's not likely you'll get much with Naruto around...' Following after Jiraiya, Kurama waited for the man to sit down comfortably against a tree before sitting down beside him. "Jiraiya... What is the name of this technique?" he asked in a quiet voice, although not timidly so.

Jiraiya didn't even open an eye as he answered, "Rasengan."

Kurama nodded his head, although Jiraiya didn't see. "And the point of such a powerful and reckless attack is...?"

At this question Jiraiya opened his eyes and looked at Kurama. "Very rarely does a student at your age ask such questions. Like Naruto, you should be ecstatic about this, yet you're so calm and stoic," Jiraiya said, his eyes serious for once. "How old are you?"

Kurama blinked. "Didn't you already ask that question before?"

Jiraiya shrugged. "I can't remember."

Kurama turned to look up at the sky. "In demon years... I was little over 3000."

Jiraiya's eyes closed again. "How old do demons from your world usually live?"

A frown formed on Kurama's face. "Well, the range is rather extensive. Some demons are killed after or before birth because of tainted blood or other reasons. Some demons are powerful enough to survive and live longer than me, although those are very few. I'm an S class demon where I come from, the highest class. Only demon lords are more powerful than me," he said quietly, so no one would overhear.

"Who's more powerful than you?" Jiraiya asked, a little curiosity sneaking into his voice.

"The son of another demon lord... Yusuke. He's half demon half human, and is now the ruling lord of his father's lands."

Jiraiya's eyes snapped open. "There can be crossbreeding?" he asked, his full attention focused on Kurama.

Kurama blinked. "Of course. As long as the demon and human have the right sexual organs, then it is quite possible."

Jiraiya blinked. "Wouldn't a half-demon half-human be weaker than a pure demon?" he asked curiously.

Kurama shook his head. "Oh no. It all depends on the power of the demon father or mother. Yusuke grew up as a human, and didn't know of his demonic blood until a while after he had died and then been reborn. It was a very strange case, for the reikai. He's a detective for them now, killing off demons that go into the ningenkai to wreak havoc or killing demons in the makai who are power hungry or are doing something reikai doesn't like."

Jiraiya blinked. "Reikai? Makai?"

"Reikai is where dead souls go and Makai is the world of demons," Kurama stated simply.

"Are you a spirit detective then?"

"Yes, I am of the Reikai Tantei."

Jiraiya nodded his head. "Your world is very interesting. How are you coming with the Rasengan?"

Kurama blinked at the changed subject. "Well, I didn't really try yet. I suppose I could try now, though..." he muttered, pulling out his balloon and jumping into the tree Jiraiya was sleeping against. Molding chakra into his hand, he slowly made the water spin counterclockwise. Trying to be creative, he went the other way. Finding counterclockwise more comfortable, he went back to it and started testing out the balloon. The little thing was really quite tough, and his sickly chakra was straining to move the water. Becoming irritated, he burnt of the sickly chakra with a huge burst of power, surprising the hell out of Jiraiya in the process.

"What did you just do?" Jiraiya asked, quite serious.

Kurama smiled. "Just expended my curse seal chakra. It's very irritating and tiresome to work with."

Jiraiya blinked before closing his eyes again.

Focusing his green chakra into the ball, he made the water spin counterclockwise easily. Experimenting, he made it stretch out horizontally, vertically, and many other assorted angles. Getting an idea (and having quite a lot of fun at the moment), Kurama made the water move in two currents, one horizontally, and the other vertically. His eyes widened in realization as he witnessed the four deformations in the ball. Adding on a few more, he practiced making them spin in perfect sincronization for a while. After being able to do it without thinking, he easily blew up the balloon over Jiraiya's head, thoroughly soaking the man.

Jiraiya opened annoyed eyes and stared up at a smirking Kurama. "What's next, sensei?" he asked with humor in his voice.

If you have any questions or pointers, please feel free to review. Constructive criticism is welcome.

**AI-SAMA**: please email me and let me know if you received my email to you answering your questions and ranting of chapter 37. lol


	40. Chapter Forty

**Kurama in Narutoland**

_oOo_

Chapter Fourty:

_oOo_

Disclaimer: The majority of text from this section of the manga comes directly from inane scalations (which I didn't actually GET from inane, because I can't get their stuff from their site. I got their scanlations off two other sites). I DO take credit for what Kurama does (he's not mine), and I do not take credit for what I took out of said scanlations, and am too lazy to specify what I copied, so figure it out yerself. Now, on with the ficcie, heheh.

"ARGH!! WHY WON'T IT BREAK ALREADY!" Naruto yelled angrily, glaring comically at his water balloon.

Jiraiya continued to snore.

Kurama continued to mold his chakra into strange objects, enjoying himself as he made a little fox run around on his palm, doing acrobatic tricks.

Soon Jiraiya was awake from the racket Naruto was making. "Can you do it yet...?"

Naruto smiled nervously as he turned around to look at Jiraiya.

"Seems like I won't be getting any sleep... and I was dreaming of such nice woman... heh..." Jiraiya said, standing up.

Kurama only shook his head up in his little tree.

"Ano... Since you're awake, would you tell me how to break this?" Naruto asked hopefully.

"I can't give the you full explanation until you break that," Jiraiya said bluntly.

Naruto made a face, and there was silence for a moment.

"Alright..." Jiraiya said, causing Naruto to smile happily. "Normally, you'd have to go through the trial and error to find out for yourself... to master the know-how of the jutsu. I can only teach a little... Let's see you maintain the spin of the water."

"Kay!" Naruto exclaimed, holding out his hand and spinning the water.

"Right or left, which way is the water spinning?"

"W...well... Only to the left..."

"You're coming along very well," Jiraiya said with a grin, patting Naruto's head. "Heh... Just as I thought, It's right rotation. Anyone can learn to train the rotation of the chakra from within. You should build up the essential energy to blend the chakra. The rotation's direction's either right or left. So, each person is different. For this lesson, spin the water in the balloon in the opposite direction of your own rotation by using energy... The chakra flow will be disrupted when it is not in harmony with the rotation. The thing is, you need to be familiar with your sixth sense," Jiraiya explained.

"How'd you know that I was the right-type?" Naruto asked curiously.

"The back of the head! Your hairline shows it. A right swirl becomes the right rotation. Left swirl becomes left rotation."

"Ooh! So you're saying I have a right swirl!" Naruto said, hands on his head.

"Yeah, so use the energy of the right rotation for the spin, not left," Jiraiya lectured.

"Then right now it won't work without spinning it to the right and using that kind of energy..."

"Bring out the jutsu in you! Don't worry about learning the seal, just using chakra is good," Jiraiya said. "You don't have to memorize such a difficult seal," he said, grinning his ass off.

"ALRIGHT! IT WILL BE EASY IF I USE UP ALL MY ENERGY FOR THIS JUTSU... By the third day I will perfectly master it!!" Naruto said excitedly.

"This ninjutsu is one that the fourth Hokage left behind. Yondaime perfected this jutsu after 3 years..." Jiraiya said, surprising Naruto. "To appreciate the degree of difficulty of this Jutsu, he was six grades above the second... "A"-Rank ultra high grade level.

Naruto was silent, eyes widened slightly.

"In order to comprehend the jutsu, you need to be at third grade level Jutsu. This 'water balloon' is the first stage," Jiraiya said. "This water balloon is the first stage."

"Does that mean that there are 8 stages to the Rasengan? If Yondaime was six levels above the second... then that makes stage 8, right?" Kurama asked from his tree, his entire attention focused on Jiraiya.

Jiraiya smirked. "Yes, he was. I am too, but I prefer not to use the higher levels because of their difficulty and how hard they are to control properly."

Kurama nodded his head and turned his attention back to his little dancing foxy.

'The genius ninja, Yondaime... Three years...' Naruto thought to himself in shock.

"And to be able to clear the first stage like him, explaining this advanced jutsu to you would be worthless. You'll find out the rest for yourself. Well then! I'm going back to the inn. What are you going to do?" Jiraiya asked, walking away.

Naruto didn't answer, and stared down at the water balloon in his hand. 'Appreciating A-rank degree of difficulty... The ninjutsu Yondaime left behind...'

Jiraiya turned back to see Naruto's answer.

"I'm not going back yet!" Naruto said with a grin.

Jiraiya smiled and turned back around. "Don't overexert yourself."

Naruto stayed late, stretching out the balloon, trying to get it to break. Kurama watched his nonexistent progress with amusement.

"SHIIIIIIIIIT!!!" Naruto yelled out, huffing. 'Before the three days have passed I need to know the secret. It stretches flat like rubber, but why won't it break?! What the hell... is different about pervert sennin...'

oOoEnd of little flashback I wasn't aware of until I wrote this chapter sweatdropoOo

Back to Naruto in the bathroom at the Inn with his cute little night cap on his head. A loud meowing sound broke him out of his musings. He stepped out of the bathroom to find the cat playing with his water balloon. "Hey! That's not your toy..." Naruto said.

The cat pushed it back and forth with it's paws, and it suddenly blew up on the poor shocked cat that ran off hissing.

Naruto's eyes widened in realization and a slight smirk came to his face. '...That's it...!'

oOo

"YOU COULD AT LEAST WAKE UP! HEY! PERVERT SENNIN!!" Naruto helled at the slumbering pervert.

Kurama, who still sat on the window sill, blinked as Naruto blew the water balloon up over Jiraiya's head.

"Wha?!" Jiraiya cried out, frowning, water all over his face.

"First stage, CLEARED! Naruto said with a fox-like smirk on his face.

After rubbing water off his face, Jiraiya sat up in bed and muttered, "Well, let me see it then."

"ALRIGHT! PAY CLOSE ATTENTION!" Naruto said enthusiastically, bringing back a fist.

Jiraiya blinked half open eyes. 'He's holding it with his left hand?'

Naruto closed his eyes and focused. Suddenly, his eyes shot open and his right fist shot forward and shot around the ball wildly at many different angles. The water balloon morphed and dented before blowing apart. "Alright! See?! See?!"

Kurama coughed from where he sat as Jiraiya sleeped on, sitting upwards.

"**ARGH! AND HE'S SLEEPING!!!**"

Kurama shook his head, watching the exchange from the window sill.

"Eheh, sorry, sorry... It's just I'm tired from gathering information every night," Jiraiya said nervously, scratching his head.

"Gathering information or woman watching, Jiraiya?" Kurama asked cynically, eyes half lidded.

Jiraiya made a shocked face at Kurama's bluntness.

"PERV-SENNIN!!!"

Jiraiya, while being reprimanded by a furious Naruto, thought to himself, 'But... Holding the water balloon in the left hand and repeatedly bringing his right hand forward into it, thus making the water swirl and rotate... That's a rather interesting concept... He's an interesting guy.'

Kurama smiled slightly. "How did you figure out how to blow up the balloon?" he asked curiously.

"This guy!" Naruto said with a foxy grin, holding up a cat. "His name's Shu. I saw him bouncing the water balloon with his front legs over and over again. And then it hit me. Because he hit it with his front legs many times, the water inside was moving in all sorts of directions. And then, a light when off in my head!"

"And how did it go off?" Jiraiya asked.

"I remembered that when Perv-sennin first broke the water balloon, it got all dented and deformed. Until now, I was only turning the water in one direction. I realized the reason Perv-sennin's water balloon was getting so misshapen was because you were turning the water in all sorts of directions. So, I did some improvising of my own... and it worked!" Naruto exclaimed happily.

Jiraiya smiled. 'It looks like he's still a fair ways off from being able to make his chakra spin wildly on one hand. He thought everything over, and came up with his own solution,' he thought while Naruto grinned and laughed under his breath. "Well, I guess that means step one is complete."

"YEEESSSSSSS!!!" Naruto yelled out before wincing from the pain in his hands.

'The strain's starting to get to his circulatory system. But... this is nothing compared to step two,' Jiraiya thought to himself, serious expression in place.

oOo

Naruto grinned as the group of three made their way through the forest to their training area. Kurama was staring at the scenery, looking for rare seeds and plucking them when he found them. There were some rather interesting plants out here he hadn't really seen before...

"Okay, on to step two," Jiraiya began, a smirk on his face.

"Alright! Some proper training, finally!" Naruto said excitedly.

Kurama stopped walking and turned to face the two just in time to catch what appeared to be a rubber ball. Chuckling under his breath, he waited for the comical reaction from Naruto... he wasn't disappointed.

"Argh... another one of these tests?" he asked with a half-dead expression of suffering on his face.

"Now you must break THIS ball," Jiraiya said, rubber ball in hand. A few seconds later, the ball blew was shredded into many jagged pieces. "It's at lease 100 times harder than the water balloon.

Naruto tried, doing the same thing he did to the water balloon. The rubber balloon dented and morphed before stretching back to the way it was before. "Ehh... Cool!" Naruto said, an expression of seriousness upon his face. 'So powerful!'

"First step is to spin, second step is to add power. If there is no water, it's harder to feel your chakra spinning, so powering it up and controlling it is difficult," Jiraiya lectured. "Practice that for a bit. I'm going to go collect information," he said, beginning to walk off.

"WAIT A MINUTE! Didn't you say that today you were going to train with me?"

"I said I'd teach you. But its not that simple. Don't misunderstand. I said that I'd teach you jutsu, but I never said the jutsu would be simple. If you can't depend on yourself, forget it. You are like a child, asking for help all the time. You have to BECOME a real ninja," Jiraiya said, glancing back at Naruto.

"Yeah, your right, but can you at least give me a hint?" Naruto asked, inconspicuously panicking.

"Money," Jiraiya said, holding out a hand.

Kurama shook his head, laughing slightly.

Naruto was silent before exploding. "YOU TALK, BUT YOU'RE A DIRTY GROWNUP! YOU AREN'T ANYTHING LIKE A GREAT SHINOBI!!" he yelled out, eyes flying open in irritation.

Jiraiya only walked off, ignoring Naruto entirely.

'Is he really gathering information...?' Kurama thought to himself. 'Actually, I don't think I want to know...' he thought, sweatdropping slightly. Throwing his bag back over his shoulder, he walked off to a quieter area of the forest...

Naruto blinked. Where had Kurama gone...?

oOo

Kurama breathed deeply, focusing his chakra into his right hand first he made the chakra spin, then he fed it more power. To his annoyance, nothing was happening. Stopping his chakra, he sat down on the ground crosslegged and began meditating. An hour passed by quickly. He slowly opened his eyes once more, his mind clear and focused on the present task.

Thoughts randomly came to mind. The nature of chakra, battle formations, thought out attacks and gorilla warfare... Kurama's mind mulled over many different things that applied to fighting. Suddenly, a rather peculiar thought stuck out amongst the rest. During battles, if attacks were focused all over the place, it was over all very unaffective. Like when demons try to break down a wall, their attacks are useless... however, if the focus their attacks to one spot...

Green eyes widened in realization. 'That's it! That's how to break the rubber balloon! Focus everything to one spot to break the thing apart... Now, where should I focus it... it I make it focus on a wall, it will just puncture a hole in it... What if I focused it to the middle?' Trying out his new idea, Kurama started to spin the chakra in his hand in many directions, denting it. Next, he put power into it and focused it on an invisible point in the middle of the rubber balloon. In his mind, he saw the chakra swirl around the one point. Adding a burst of power and maintaining it, the rubber ball quickly blew up in his face, sending him flying backwards at incredible speed...

oOo

Kurama opened groggy eyes. What had happened? Sitting up, he winced as he felt the metal plate on his back dig in. 'I'll probably have a dent there... AGAIN,' he thought to himself in irritation, sitting up painfully. Feeling more pain than just in his back, he looked down at his right hand and was shocked at what he saw. His hand was a bloody mess. Dried blood coated it, and a bit of bone could be seen. Some of the muscles were severed, and it hurt like a bitch.

Groaning, Kurama stood up painfully and made his way over to his bag, which had been thrown against a tree not far away. Once close enough to it, he sat back down and pulled a water canteen out of it. Pouring the water over his bloody hand, he started to clean away the blood so he could get a better look at the damage. To his surprise, it wasn't as bad as he had first thought, and it was already healing slowly with the help of his youki. How long had he been asleep? The sun was just beginning to shine over the tree tops, so he must have been unconscious for the whole night and the majority of yesterday...

Pulling out his first-aid kit, Kurama began to get to work on his hand. First disinfecting it with rubbing alcohol, he winced at the stinging sensation. 'This training is going to be the death of me...' he thought to himself. Reaching for a needle, he groaned when he realized that he didn't have any string that was used for internal wounds. The string he needed would dissolve slowly as whatever was stitched would heal together.

Thinking hard, he wondered what he would do. Suddenly an idea occurred to him. What if he used his chakra to sew the muscle together...?

That wasn't such a bad idea...

oOo

Naruto groaned. He been practicing all night and had only managed to puncture the stupid rubber ball!

"It seems like you're finally improving," Jiraiya said with his old man smile.

"Improvement? I only punctured the ball! I didn't make it blow up, like you..." Naruto muttered grumpily.

"Come on, don't be so stubborn. Here!" Jiraiya said, holding out a popcicle. "You've come a long ways on your own."

Naruto was surprised for a second before smiling happily, taking the popcicle.

"Once you've gotten this far, the rest is just a simple trick. Let's try it out a little..."

"WHAT?!"

"Give me your right hand."

Naruto handed over his hand, and Jiraiya drew a swirl on it with a paint brush. "What's this?" he asked curiously.

Jiraiya drew the same swirl on his own right hand, and held it out to Naruto for him to see.

"It's the same, but what's the point?"

"I'll explain it now," Jiraiya said, fiddling in his top for something. "Look at this piece of paper!"

Naruto looked at it, a dubious expression on his face. "Okay, I saw, I looked..." he said, a weird expression on his face.

"Alright!" Jiraiya said, taking the paper and drawing on it. "Now look at it," he said, holding out the paper for Naruto to see.

Naruto stared at the swirl on the page. "... So what?"

"Ha ha... It's not that complicated, but... when I used the blank paper, you looked at it as a whole, right?" Jiraiya asked, a smirk on his face and a cig hanging from his mouth.

"Hm... I guess..."

"But how did you look at the paper with the dot? You stared at the center, right?"

Naruto's eyes widened. "YEAH YEAH!! Then? So what's the hint?!!" Naruto asked excitedly.

'This guy is slow after all...' Jiraiya thought to himself with some amusement. "That's called concentration! The concentration!" he said.

"Concentration?" Naruto asked, looking at the swirl on his hand.

"When the paper is blank, you eyes travel all over the paper when you look at it. However, if there is something on it for you to focus on, your eyes will automatically stare at that one center spot. This is called 'concentration-of-one'... You come closer to a state where you can draw maximum power because your mind is calm," Jiraiya explained.

"Hmm..." Naruto sucked on his popcicle while thinking about it.

"However, when you made that hole in the ball, you must have focused a lot of charka into your palm to push your power to the limit."

"Yup yup! So... what about that anyways?" Naruto asked intelligently. (note the sarcasm)

'I'm tired of explaining things to this dumbass,' Jiraiya thought irritatedly. "Listen well, Naruto! From now on, whenever you wanna focus your chakra on your right palm, make sure you concentrate you mind on the dot on your palm first!" Jiraiya said.

Naruto stared down at the swirl on his palm. 'Concentrate...'

"I'm going to go look for Kurama and see how he's doing. After that I'm going to go collect information," Jiraiya said, not giving Naruto any time to complain before he disappeared.

Naruto's eyebrow twitched. "Heh, I'll just forget about that perverted guy and do my best!" he said to himself, grinning.

oOo

Kurama sighed. He was almost done stitching everything back together with his chakra. The skin would take a while to grow over again, though, unless he sped up the process with youki.

"Kurama? What happenened here?" Jiraiya asked, coming out of the trees with a shocked look on his face.

Kurama blinked, then assessed his surroundings... He hadn't noticed that hole in the ground earlier... or his blood al over the place... he'd been too occupied with his hand... "Um..." he said uncomfortably, looking back to his hand.

Jiraiya spotted a few pieces of rubber here and there, and his eye brows shot up. "You did this with the level two Rasengan?" he asked in surprise.

Kurama nodded his head. "And I tore my hand to pieces in the process. I used to much power when focusing it into one spot, and it blew up in my face. I didn't wake up till just an hour ago, I would think..."

Jiraiya kneeled beside Kurama and watched as the redhead stitched the last bit of muscle together with chakra, then began to wrap bandages around the wound. "Are you sure that'll fix it?" he asked curiously.

Kurama smiled weakly. "My youki can fix the skin within a day. It was just the muscles I was worried about, and a few cuts in the tendons. I sewed those together again, though, and they should finish stitching back together within a few hours."

A thought occurred to Jiraiya. "Why don't you heal like Naruto does?" he asked curiously.

Kurama smiled sincerely and looked Jiraiya in the eyes. "Because I don't know how."

_This chapter was 10 pages long, ppl. That's a record for me! Well... it was actually just past 10, but whatever. I hope you enjoyed it._

**_AI-SAMA_**: **please email me and let me know if you received my email to you answering your questions in chapter 37.**


	41. Chapter FortyOne

**Kurama in Narutoland**

_oOo_

Chapter Fourty-one:

_oOo_

Disclaimer: The majority of text from this section of the manga comes directly from inane scalations (which I didn't actually GET from inane, because I can't get their stuff from their site. I got their scanlations off two other sites). I DO take credit for what Kurama does (he's not mine), and I do not take credit for what I took out of said scanlations, and am too lazy to specify what I copied, so figure it out yerself. Now, on with the ficcie, heheh.

**Beachan18**: When I first read your review, my eyes were wide as hell. You scared the CRAP out of me yelling that they're only 11 years old... for a second there I thought you were serious. takes deep breath. Thanks for scaring the crap outa me there in that wonderful review. And yes, we're both freaks, as you put it. Heh. Grin

And now, on with the ficcie...

_oOo_

A thought occurred to Jiraiya. "Why don't you heal like Naruto does?" he asked curiously.

Kurama smiled sincerely and looked Jiraiya in the eyes. "Because I don't know how."

Jiraiya looked thoughtful for a moment. "Since you can't train, obviously, then why don't you finish wrapping up your hand and come with me to gather information?"

Kurama thought it over. It wasn't that bad of an idea, and Jiraiya was right in the aspect that he couldn't train for a day or so. "Alright," he said, tying the bandage and putting everything back in his bag. Once he was done, he picked it up with his left hand and threw it over his shoulder.

oOo

"AAAAARGH!! AR... MY... ARM!"

"Orochimaru-sama... The medicine! Quickly!"

Blood spattered over walls of a room with little light. Orochimaru sat in his bed, blood all over his sheets, panting from pain.

"Please take the medicine immediately... Ahh, I have to clean the room the moment I get back?" a voice asked from the open door, light surrounding them in a halo. The person was revealed to be Kabuto.

"That kind of crappy medicine I don't need."

"I mixed the medicine myself... It should make you feel at least a little better," Kabuto said, pushing his glasses up on his nose.

Orochimaru growled as he stared down at his hands. "The burning pain in my arms... I never expected it to be so bad..."

"Sarutobi, the Sandaime... The wound comes from his final curse. No wonder it's painful," Kabuto said, walking past the dead body laying on the floor.

"No need for further explanations... By the way, the woman... did you find her?" Orochimaru asked, slitted eyes narrowed.

"...Yes. It seems she's at a place called Tanzaku Street."

"Tanzaku Street... Is that so..." Orochimaru said, a smirk coming to his face.

"However, it won't be easy to capture her," Kabuto said.

"Heh... The best cure is always the hardest one to find... right?" Orochimaru asked in a dangerous voice, eyes shadowed.

oOo

On the ground Naruto lay, punctured rubber balls all around him. "Damn..." he muttered, "I've gotta concentrate more..." He stared at his shaking hand, the swirl planted in the middle. Breathing out deeply, he tried to concentrate again.

"ARGH!! I CAN'T GET THAT STUPID PERV-SENNIN'S FACE OUT OF MY HEAD!!!!!!!!"

oOo

Kurama almost sighed as the first place they went to, to 'gather information' was a bar. 'Typical...' he thought to himself, watching as Jiraiya got to work.

"Have you seen this person before?" Jiraiya asked, holding out a picture to one of the men at the bar.

"Nope, never seen her before..."

"I see..."

"I know that person..." a voice said to Jiraiya's left. "I even know her whereabouts."

Kurama turned his eyes to the one who had spoken. Getting bored rather quickly, he plopped up by the bar and asked for some sake.

The bartender looked at Kurama. "You old enough to be drinking?" he asked.

Kurama raised a cool eyebrow as his only response, glaring at the bartender slightly.

"Alright then... it'll be there in a minute," the man said, placing down the cup he'd been cleaning and going off to warm up some sake.

Kurama tuned back into the conversation a few seats down from him.

"That sis... she's rubbed me off quite a bit, y'know?" Jiraiya said. 'She's still losing?' he thought to himself incredulously.

"That legendary hitter... is still gambling even now..." the man said, taking a drink from his glass.

"Here's your sake, sir," the man said, and Kurama paid for the drink. Pouring some sake into a cup, he downed it with a gulp, remaining perfectly sober. Pouring himself another glass, he sipped it and thought of how he was going to train during this trip. 'At the moment I'm useless... at least until my hand heals. I'll still have to be careful with it, though... Running for hours on end is becoming too easy. I'm going to have to get more weights during the trip or when I get home... I wonder where I could find the same weights... or I could add them in different spots...' Suddenly an idea occurred to him. 'Why don't I sew weights into the lining of my vest? I haven't even worn that outfit yet... it's perfect!' he thought to himself, his lips twitching upwards slightly.

"Where?" Jiraiya asked.

"Tanzaku Street."

"That's pretty close," Jiraiya said to himself with a slight smirk. "Kurama, we're leaving..." he said, turning around and gaping at Kurama drinking sake at the bar. Walking up to the kid, he asked, "How did you get sake? You're underage!"

Kurama coughed as the bartender looked at him accusingly. "So what if I'm underage?" he said cockily, gulping down the remains of the sake bottle, his cheeks not even tinged red. Reaching out a hand, he pulled Jiraiya out of the bar and on to the street. "So, where are we going now?" he asked, slightly drunk although he hid it pretty well physically.

Jiraiya blinked. "Damn, can you hold your liquor!" he exclaimed.

Kurama rolled his eyes. "Yes, I can. However, this body isn't entirely used to it, so let's get going before I stumble into someone I don't think I should."

Jiraiya nodded his head, and was about to leave with Kurama when the redhead stopped walking. "What?" he asked.

Kurama stared at a store across the street. "How about you go get Naruto and wait for me with him. I need to buy a few things before we leave," he said, not waiting for an answer before he walked off to the store.

Shrugging, Jiraiya made his way out of the town, wondering what Kurama would need to buy.

Kurama smirked. The store had weights displayed. Walking inside, he made his way to the front counter. "Excuse me, sir," he said politely, "Could you please show me your stock of weights?"

The man blinked. "Sure. What are you looking for?" he asked, leading Kurama to the back.

"Something I can put in the lining of a vest of mine," Kurama said with a half smile.

"So you'll probably want disks, right? Hm... Probably size 4 with your body width," the man said, as if Kurama knew what he was talking about... which he didn't, entirely. The man picked up a rather thin disk around 3 inches in diameter and held it up to Kurama's chest. "Is this what you want to sew it into?" he asked, indicating Kurama's 'cover'.

"No, I want to sew it into a vest that hangs open, normally, and hangs down to mid-thigh," Kurama explained.

"How heavy do you want the over all weight to be, approximately?"

Kurama had to think for a moment. "How heavy CAN you get it?" he asked.

"It depends on how many disks you want in the clothing. If you want, you could just sew weight pockets onto the inside of the vest and add as many as you made pockets for," the man said. "Do you have this vest with you?" he asked.

Kurama put his bag on the ground and began to open it with his left hand, leaving his right hanging by his side. The vest was pretty close to the top, and he pulled it out without disturbing the rest of the bag's contents, although he had to remove the sword to get the thing open at all. He held the vest out to the man, who looked at it appraisingly.

"This is a nice vest. Good makeup. Strong material... If you want to put weights in this, the best thing to do would be to take it to my friend Kito. He can fill the lining with lead. He's been doing it for years for other ninjas, too, so you don't need to worry about him ruining it," the man said, handing the vest back to Kurama. "When you leave this shop, go to the left and walk a ways down the street. Kito's store's a metal work shop. Can't miss it. The only one in the area," the man said with a smile.

Kurama nodded his head and put his vest back into his bag and flipped the flap closed and tied it. After that, he tied the sword back on. "Thank you very much," he said with a friendly smile and left with his bag swung over his left shoulder.

'That's even better than what I had in mind...' Kurama thought to himself happily.

oOo

"This time... My arms... Will be healed..." Orochimaru said as he left his village.

Even though it's a good cure... That reason will not let you have it easily you know..." Kabuto said to Orochimaru, who was walking ahead of him.

"Hah... We're going to Tanzaku Street NOW!" Orochimaru said commandingly, making some people think he was constipated. Or, that's what I think at least...

oOo

"WOW!! HOW RARE!!" Tsunade's dark-haired companion (who was carrying a pig) called out happily

"How could **_I_** get triple sevens?" Tsunade said to herself. 'I have a bead feeling about this...'

The two of them left the gambling joint, Tsunade feeling rather anxious.

"What's wrong?" her companion asked. "It's a miracle that you actually won this time... why are you still unhappy?"

"This place... I have a bad feeling... let's get outta here fast."

"What? But this is a beautiful place... we should explore the castle more and..."

"Then we'll take a quick look around and then get out of ASAP!" Tsunade said strictly.

oOo

Kabuto and Orochimaru walked through the forest, taking their time. "I know a bit about Tsunade-sama too. You see... I was in the medics before," Kabuto said to Orochimaru. "It's now become standard procedure... to include a medical specialist in a group of four ninjas. Prior to this... it was difficult for a group of shinobi to battle without any medical attention. You can't anticipate what might happen on the battlefield. Which is blindingly obvious."

"Hm... That might be a good system even for veteran fighters... But such a system would only increase the casualties of war," Orochimaru said dangerously. "It's human nature that people won't realize the true value of something unless they lose it. And whoever told the story of the medical specialist who's from the 3 legendary ninja... became the victims of that ninja.

oOo

Naruto struggled to stand. "Argh... it hurts..." he groaned out before collapsing. 'This is the limit... it hurts too much. I have no chakra left. Lemme rest a bit...' he thought to himself, turning over onto this back.

Leaves blew in the wind, and one landed itself on Naruto's forehead... with it, came a memory of when he was younger.

_Iruka caught them trying to sneak out of class, and lectured them on concentration. As punishment for some back talk... they had extra class._

_Iruka taught them about concentration, and put a leaf on their foreheads, which would teach them to concentrate all their chakra to that leaf. "You'll only be acknowledged as a ninja if you have good concentration!" he had once said..._

Naruto brought a trembling right hand to his face. "This is the same thing..." he said to himself weakly. "...If only I'd listened to Iruka-sensei back then... I'm so dumb..." he muttered to himself, sitting upright, the leaf falling off his forehead. "**But it's too late to regret it now**." Licking his thumb, he smudged the ink on his hand into the symbol of konoha... a swirly leaf. "**Alright! I can do this!**" he said to himself determinedly. 'Must concentrate...'

Picking up another rubber ball with his left hand, Naruto placed his right over top and concentrated his chakra into it. In his mind's eye, he saw the leaf symbol. Chakra started to slowly swirl around that one spot, focusing. 'NOW!' He snapped his eyes open and moved his right hand like he did with the water balloon, causing the rubber ball to blow up in his hands and send him flying.

Crying out from the force, Naruto held his arms to his face as he skidded across the ground on his right side. His momentum was stopped by a hand on his back.

"Ahh... it's done..." Naruto managed to get out of his tired body.

"Seems like you've mastered the second stage," Jiraiya said, looking at the burns on Naruto's right hand. 'Wow... to concentrate chakra to the extent where it burnt his hand... This kid... is quite amazing... Kurama is amazing too. He focused enough power into one spot that the chakra flew out of his control and blew up in his face. Both of them are going to go far...' he thought to himself, smirking.

Naruto weakly suggested that he start the third stage, but Jiraiya was quick to say otherwise. "Leave it for later... We're gonna meet Tsunade now. I'll explain the basics of the third stage on the way.

oOo

"Tanzaku castle has such a fabulous view even from the ground. That's why it's called the treasure of arts!" Tsunade's companion said.

"Don't waste anymore time. We must get out of here as soon as possible," Tsunade said.

"Can't we stay a little bit longer? Don't you see this beautiful view? It's for free, too."

Suddenly, the magnificent castle crumbled to the ground with a boom, shocking both Tsunade and her companion. In it's place towered Orochimaru and Kabuto on the head of a snake.

"Orochimaru," Tsunade muttered under her breath, sweat trickling down her cheek.

"I finally found you," Orochimaru said with a smirk.

Rather short chapter there, but I wanted to end it on a cliffhanger. So... yeah. That's what you get for me updating again so soon! MWAHAHAHAHA!!! get's hit over head by fan ouch. runs away from rabid fans. Anyway, I'm hoping the next chapter will be up soon, so look forward to it!

**_AI-SAMA_**:please email me and let me know if you received my email to you answering your questions in chapter 37

**_KEITSU HAN'EI_**: please tell me if you recieved the url of Kyuubi/Youko. When I emailed to you, it said block sender. I dunno if you still got it.


	42. Chapter FortyTwo

**Kurama in Narutoland**

_oOo_

Chapter Fourty-two:

_oOo_

Kurama walked down the rather busy street, in search of a metal work shop. On the way he spotted many other interesting places, but not what he was looking for. Near the end of the street, he finally came to the store and entered.

"Can I help you, sir?" a rather young looking man with short-cut but stylish brown hair said, gray eyes smiling friendly at him.

Kurama smiled at the 'sir'. "If you are Kito, then yes you can," he said with a polite small.

"I am he," the 30 or so year-old said. "What is it you need?"

"I have a vest that I would like weighted," Kurama said, removing his bag from his shoulder and digging through it with his left hand, leaving his right hand hanging uselessly by his side.

"Of course," Kito said. "If you don't mind me asking, what happened to your hand?" he asked conversationally while Kurama pulled out his black red vest.

"Performed a jutsu incorrectly and it blew up in my face," Kurama said simply, holding the vest up to Kito, who took it and started closely examining the makeup.

"Well, for one, this is a very nice vest. I'm surprised you got such good quality in this day and age. Must have been fairly expensive. How heavy do you want this to be?" Kito asked.

Kurama frowned at that. How heavy DID he want it to be? For one, he wanted to get rid of the weights Gai made him wear, because all the metal did get rather irritating to have hanging off his body... so that was 1600 pounds total... 400 of Gai's... If he wanted to get rid of Gai's, how much did he want to start carrying around? "How heavy can you make it?" Kurama asked.

I seem to have made many mistakes considering Kurama's weights in the past. Sorry 'bout that. Let's just say that the total weight, at the moment, is OFFICIALLY 1600.

Kito blinked before narrowing his eyes, calculating the vest and turning it over and over to look at it at different angles. "Well, I'd say I could make it around 800 pounds or so... That'd be pushing it though. I'm not sure how long your vest would last, even with the extra supports I'll be putting in it.

"Would it last relatively long with 700 pounds?" Kurama asked.

Kito blinked. 'Is this kid actually SERIOUS about putting that much weight on?' "It'd probably last for a few years before you'd have to replace it. At 600 pounds it'd last around 5-7 years."

Kurama thought about it for a moment. He REALLY didn't want to have to carry 300 pounds out of the blue, so... "I'll go with 600," he said simply.

Kito nodded.

"How much will this cost?" Kurama asked suspiciously.

Kito thought over it for a moment. "Well... My work isn't cheep... Around 200,000 yen."

Kurama blinked. Pulling out his money bag, he started counting bills. He came up with 185,505 yen. Muttering curses under his breath, he wondered what he would do... "Could I pay the rest with weights I'm going to get rid of by any chance?" he asked.

"Could I see them?"

Pulling up his sleeves, Kurama removed all the weights Gai made him wear (and some wrist weights he'd gotten before the Final exam) and showed them to Kito.

Kito's eyebrows raised. "Wow. This will more than pay for the vest. Including the weights, I'd say the price is lowered to... 140,000 yen."

Kurama smiled. "Perfect. How long will it take for you to finish it?"

"Around three days. There are a few different stages I need to do to finish the whole thing. Can you wait that long?" Kito asked.

Kurama sweatdropped. "I don't want to, but I will if I have to," he said, counting out 140,000 yen and placed it by the weights on a nearby table.

"Alright then. Be back here on the morning of the third day," Kito said, waving to Kurama as he left.

'This is going to be a long three days...' Kurama thought to himself with a sigh, leaving the town to sleep out in the woods and train, feeling lighter than normal without 400 pounds on him.

_oOo_

"Jiraiya?" Naruto asked as they traveled to the next town. "Where's Kurama?"

"Had to do something. Said he'd catch up," Jiraiya said dismissively.

"What about the third stage?"

Jiraiya stopped walking. "Heheh. The third step can be done while walking," he said, reaching into his yukata and pulling out a balloon, which he blew up. (Note: I do not really know what a yukata is, I'm just guessing here. I THINK it's the shirt thing with the part down the middle... or whatever... coffcoff)

Tying the balloon, Jiraiya tossed it to Naruto, who caught it. "Eh? What's this? Looks normal."

"The first step was to spin. The second step was power. Finally, the third step, is this!" Jiraiya said, holding up the balloon, which shifted slightly.

Naruto stared hard, watching Jiraiya's balloon. After a while of nothing happening, he blew up. "WHAT THE HECK IS 'THIS'?!!"

Jiraiya chuckled. "It may seem that I'm just holding the balloon... But, I'll show you the same thing in my left hand. Let's see what's going... inside the balloon," he said.

Naruto's eyes widened when he saw the twirling typhoon of chakra in Jiraiya's hand. 'Whoa... the chakra is spinning rapidly and increasing in pace... but it remains a perfect sphere...'

"Just like a small typhoon, eh?" Jiraiya said, smirking as he looked at his left hand.

"So that balloon in your right hand is the same as your left hand?" Naruto asked.

"Yeah!"

'Even with that much chakra spinning, the balloon doesn't even twitch. There must be more power and speed to it than when I popped the rubber ball!' Naruto thought to himself, convinced.

"Listen up. This third step is giving all you learned from the previous two, and charge it. Basically, you max out the spin and the power of your chakra. But you make the a wall within the balloon, and concentrate your power," Jiraiya said seriously.

"I GET IT! So, I do the spinning from the last exercise, and try not to pop the balloon?!" Naruto asked excitedly.

"Aye! You've gotten quicker," Jiraiya said, grinning.

"Hmm... So, why do we have to do that?" Naruto asked unintelligibly.

'I retract my comment...' he thought to himself. "This is why. Watch closely... up to the second step is like this," Jiraiya said, walking over to a tree. A spinning swirl of chakra appeared in his hand, and ate a swirl design into the tree. Afterwards, he made the third stage rasengan and ate a whole out of the tree.

Naruto's eyes widened in shock.

"If you can keep this tornado in its form, the power doesn't dissipate. It'll start to spin faster, and its power will be highly concentrated," Jiraiya said with his old many cocky wink.

A determined look formed on Naruto's face as he looked down at his balloon. 'Alright, I can do it!'

"Alright, the chat's over. We're gonna practice while walking," Jiraiya said.

"Eh, why must we hurry, I need to prac..."

"We took extra time to get your body healed. There's no guarantee that Tsunade will stay in the city longer either," Jiraiya said, turning around and walking away.

"WHAAAT?!!"

"Not as if an old buddy's gonna appear before her and start to chit chat. LET'S GO!"

"... Alright," Naruto said, walking along rather bummbed out. "And Kurama?"

"I already told you, he'll catch up when he catches up."

_oOo_

Tsunade frowned. "It's been a while, Orochimaru."

"I have a little favor to ask from you," Orochimaru said, his hands twitching at his sides.

Kabuto began, "Tsunade-sama, I'm assume you've figured out Orochimaru's condi-"

"Hey, you can go find someone else. I quit being a doctor."

"That's not possible. Only you can cure this wound," Kabuto said.

Tsunade glared as Orochimaru mentioned her lost loved ones.

_oOo_

Kurama sighed. It was only the first day, and he was already bored out of his mind. He'd started training at first, but that had quickly stopped when his body refused to get any benefit out of the exercise from a lack of weight. Although he was quicker than normal, it was still irritating training and training and getting nothing out of it.

Plopping down on his butt, he wondered what he could do... Rasengan was out of the question. His skin was only half healed... But then, there was always his left hand... Looking down at it, he frowned softly. He didn't want to fry TWO hands. He didn't want to be almost completely incapacitated.

Falling backwards onto the ground, he stared up at the clouds. Maybe he could invent some cool jutsu while he waited... Something that didn't require hand seals for... That idea flew out of his mind, however, when he remembered his sword...

A devilish smirk spread across handsome features as a wicked training idea came to mind...

_oOo_

Naruto held his hands together, trying to form the rasengan. He tried to power it up, but ended up blowing the balloon to pieces.

"Hey, don't slack off," Jiraiya said, frowning. "You gotta charge 100 of your spin and your power into it.

'You've got to be kidding me. I need to control all I've got perfectly... Now I understand... this third step,' Naruto thought to himself, staring at his hands. 'It's on a completely different scale!'

Jiraiya smirked. "I told you, its rank A difficulty. Extremely high level ninjutsu."

_oOo_

"You alone can cure Orochimaru," Kabuto said, trying to be persuasive.

"What did you do to your arm? That's no ordinary wound," Tsunade asked sharply.

"Heh. Just a little momento from when I killed the third."

Tsunade's eyes narrowed.

Tsunade's companion was boiling with anger. Shooting in front of Tsunade, she pulled the strings of a mechanism on her arm and shot tiny needles at Orochimaru in anger.

Kabuto was quick to deflect them. 'Poisoned...'

"Calm down, Shizune," Tsunade said commandingly to the dark haired girl, who was panting, a vein throbbing in anger. "Orochimaru, you haven't changed one bit," Tsunade said, eyes shut and curved up in a wicked smile. "You know how I am, don't you? Don't kid around with me," she said.

Suddenly, the wall behind Tsunade shattered as he slammed her fist into it. Eyes had narrowed in anger and blood lust. "I'll kill you," she said dangerously, a look of absolute hate on her beautiful features.

A huge chunk of wall went down with an explosion of dust, sending many small bits flying outwards from the point of destruction.

_oOo_

Another poorly controlled Rasengan blew up in Naruto's face... again.

"Tsunade is really short tempered you know..." Jiraiya said thoughtfully to himself, hand leaning against a large pillar. 'I hope she's still around...'

_oOo_

Orochimaru only remained collected and confident after Tsunade's mighty show of freakish strength.

"We're not here to fight, but to negotiate," Kabuto said calmly.

"I said it once... Get out of my sight," Tsunade said sharply.

"You're the only one who can cure his arm," Kabuto said, standing in front of Orochimaru as he tried to negotiate with her. "Please calm down... It won't be a bad bargan..."

"Five."

"Four."

Kabuto sighed.

"Three."

Tsunade frowned. She knew Orochimaru wouldn't leave without getting what he wanted, but she was still going to try.

"Two."

Orochimaru remained impassive.

"One."

"I can revive your brother and the man you loved with the forbidden seal I have developed," Orochimaru said confidently, brining out his trump card.

Tsunade's eyes widened in shock.

There was silence for a moment. Shizune was shocked that Tsunade seemed to even consider it for a second. The pig by her side oinked in confusion.

"You haven't killed us yet... Does this mean we have a deal?" Orochimaru asked, smirking slightly as Tsunade looked down and thought it over.

_oOo_

Meanwhile, Jiraiya was gambling for information.

"Pick cho or han. Even or odd," a man with a fro said.

"Alright! Um..." Jiraiya thought over it for a moment. 'My age is an even number, so...' "Cho!"

The man removed the cup, and Jiraiya's eyes widenend.

However, just at that moment...

Naruto's Rasengan blew up in his face again.

The dice flipped from 2 and 5 to 2 and 4, to Jiraiya's relief. 'Nice timing Naruto!' "Hehe, seems like my win," he said confidently.

Naruto's eyes were slitted, the middle pointing downward with a frown. 'Dammit, screwed up again!!' he thought to himself rather ironically.

'Damn, she's got to be somewhere around here!" Jiraiya said annoyed to himself.

Naruto, however, was ignoring him as he looked at a gambling machine. Seeing a coin on the ground, he put it in with a cute wide eyed expression of innocence. 'Do I insert my coins here?'

They came out of the gambling joint with Naruto's frog wallet filled to bursting with coins. "Gama-chan, you look cuter when you're full of coins," Naruto said happily, rubbing the frog against his face with a heart floating over his head.

'Damn, Naruto won so much from just one coin... He must have a talent in this sort of thing...' Jiraiya thought to himself with a sweatdrop. 'Although he's a moron with ninjutsu.'

_oOo_

Kurama smirked dangerously as he went through a few different katas with his sword. Narrowing his eyes in concentration, he forced sick chakra into his sword and took out a huge chunk of land, the evil energy dissolving the ground more than normal chakra would. Stopping his kata, he held up his sword and surveyed the damage. He'd done a good job, if he said so himself.

Getting an idea, he burnt out his sick chakra (or at least, what was LEFT of it) and forced his youki into the blade. Holding it up, he came down on a huge bolder with force.

A huge explosion resulted, and the rock shattered and cracked from the shear power of the attack, turning the whole rock into tiny pebbles.

Resting his sword on his shoulder, Kurama smirked. He could get used to this.

_-Toki Mirage-_


	43. Chapter FortyThree

**Kurama in Narutoland**

_oOo_

Chapter Fourty-three:

_oOo_

"Don't you want to meet them again, Tsunade?" Orochimaru asked with a slight smirk.

Tsunade seemed to think it over. Her loved ones... 'Yuuki... Dan...' "If I cure your arms... what are you planning on doing?" she asked curiously.

"I'm going to obliterate all of the Leafs... once and for all."

_oOo_

"Hey! So where's this castle supposed to be?" Naruto asked, holding a hand up to shade his eyes from the sun, looking for a non-existant castle...

Jiraiya's eyes widenened.

Rather, a destroyed one.

Both were silent as they stared at the collapsed castle, one huge pile of wreckage. "What happened here?" Naruto asked in confusion.

"Hey! You over there!" a man running down the street called out. "You guys should run away too!! There's a demon beast up there!!"

"Demon beast?" Naruto said incredulously.

"This demon beast... what exactly was it?" Jiraiya asked seriously.

"A hu-huge snake!! Toppled the building instantly!!"

"How big was this snake-beast again?" Naruto asked. "Back in my village, I also encountered a snake-beast..."

"Hey Naruto! This snake... is the same snake you met before," Jiraiya said, running along the top of the wall. Naruto followed him.

_oOo_

"Destroy the leaf village?!" Shizune bit out angrily. She turned to Tsunade and was shocked that she was even considering this at all. "Tsunade-sama!"

"You're answer is?" Kabuto said.

"You can't do this, Tsunade! You're brother and uncle wouldn't want this! Have you forgotten your dreams? I understand reality is thus, but you-"

"SHUT UP SHIZUNE!!"

The dark haired girl quieted immediately, a frown of concern on her face.

"You don't have to answer now. However, we hope to come to a peaceful resolution..." Kabuto spoke calmly. "Also, this forbidden jutsu needs a supply of life. There, we've prepared two good bodies."

"Tsunade-sama!! Kill these bastards! Orochimaru is weak right now! This is a good opportunity... if we fight together, we can beat them!" Shizune yelled determinedly.

Tsunade was silent.

Orochimaru lifted his arm to his mouth and bit a finger and held it out for Tsunade to watch the blood drip.

Tsunade immediately backed away, shivering, clutching at her necklace desperately.

"I know your weakness, Tsunade. Kong Shrei Zheng... Terrifying blood disease," Orochimaru said with a smirk

With that said, they disappeared.

Jiraiya made a flying entrance, along with Naruto. However, Tsunade and Shizune had vanished, leaving the two alone with a broken wall before they could even spot the two women.

"Just a little too late," Jiraiya muttered to himself. "Let's go, Naruto.

_oOo_

"BOSS! MORE SAKE!!" Tusnade shouted, a drunken blush on her cheeks.

"Tsunade-sama... you drink too much," Shizune said softly. Tsunade only burped as a reply, crossed her arms on the table, and leaned forward. Shizune watched her 'sensei' with worry. 'Tsunade-sama...'

_oOo_

"Oh well, let's just heat dinner here."

"What? Isn't this place a pub?"

"Dumbass... Information is always around places like this," Jiraiya said, entering the pub with Naruto trailing behind. "Hey!" he called out in surprise, "Tsunade!"

"Jiraiya..." Tsunade mumbled. "Why are you at a place like this?" she asked, her cheeks flushed from the alchohal.

'That... girl is the person we're looking for? Is she really 50 years old?' Naruto thought to himself incredulously.

"Finally, we've found you," Jiraiya said, sitting down with Tsunade and Shizune. After a while, they ordered food and started eating.

"Why did you come to see me?" Tsunade asked seriously.

"To tell the truth... The Village of the Leaf has issued a request for you to be the Godaime Hokage," Jiraiya said seriously.

Everyone at the table was surprised except Jiraiya. Even Naruto was shocked. The result was him choking on his food and hitting his chest to cough it up. 'The fifth Hokage??? What the hell?? All of a sudden...' he thought to himself.

"The third is..." Jiraiya began, his eyes softening slightly.

"It was Orochimaru's work I heard. He told me," Tsunade said, taking another sip of sake.

"THAT BIG SNAKE GUY?!" Naruto yelled in outburst, "He's the one who killed out Hokage?!! Who the hell is this bastard?!"

"He was with us... The three of us together were called the 'Three legendary Sennin'," Jiraiya explained.

"Then weren't they from the Leaf? _Then why_?"

"Who is this boy?" Tsunade asked, causing Naruto to turn his attention to her with an angry look on his face from the previous conversation.

"He is Uzumaki Naruto..." Jiraiya said with a smug look on his face.

'This kid... is the kyuubi,' Tsunade thought to herself in surprise.

"Hey! How come she gets to be the Hokage? Why?!" Naruto yelled in outrage.

"Quiet kid..." Jiraiya said in irritation. "So... Your answer is? Are you willing to accept?" Jiraiya questioned Tsunade.

Tsunade thought it over carefully.

_oOo_

Kurama sighed slightly, his body aching from his harsh physical and chakra training. Sitting down against a tree, he stared up at the moon, wondering what Naruto and Jiraiya would be doing at this time of the night. Probably sleeping...

Which was what he SHOULD be doing. Which he wasn't... because he was too restless. Sighing gently, Kurama went in search of the town's bath house, wanting to relax his aches and pains away. The town was still rather lively with adults, considering the time of night. Most of them were either entering or leaving bars or gambling joints. They watched Kurama curiously as he walked down the streets, wondering what a boy could be doing up at that time of the night.

When he arrived at the bath house, he paid a small fee to the lady at the counter and was directed in the men's changing room that led to their hotspring. Walking through the doorway, he was surprised to see almost no one there at that time of the night. It was practically empty of all life. Which was a good thing for Kurama, because he didn't want the company of pedophiles.

Undressing, and ignoring the other man in the room, Kurama couldn't wait to finally clean himself. It had been a few days, and he felt gross. Placing his clothes to the side, Kurama removed his weights, ignoring the pair of eyes that stared at him. After placing the weights to the side, he started washing himself. After he was done, he poured a bucket of water over his head and started cleaning his black Chinese outfit carefully. After that, he got all the soap out of it with clean water and let it hang from some hooks that would normally hold the customer's clothing. Since no one else was there except that one man, however (it WAS around midnight), Kurama took advantage of the room. After that, he started cleaning out what grit was in his weight's joints and straps, and dried them off quickly afterwards with a towel. Placing them in a locker, he discreetly put a small makai seed on the door to his locker so no the plant could inform him of anyone trying to steal his clothes or stuff.

Grabbing a clean towel, Kurama wrapped it around his waist and went into the hotsprings to relax his tired muscles. The other man was in there as well, and Kurama studiously ignored him, closing his eyes and sinking into the warm water.

Kurama stayed in the hotsprings for the better part of an hour, having nothing better to do. After sufficiently becoming a prune, he left the hotsprings and went back into the change rooms. Drying off quickly, Kurama opened the locker and pulled out his bag. Digging around in it for his green Chinese outfit, he smiled when he found it. Pulling all out everything he'd need, Kurama put it down on a bench and gathered up his weights and still wet black Chinese outfit.

Slipping on a pair of boxers, the thought of what Jiraiya and Naruto were doing came to mind again. Had they found Tsunade? Had something bad happened? Did they need his help right then? Were they sleeping and oblivious to his worrying? Questions like that continued to plague his mind as he put on his weights. Afterwards, he slipped on his pants, shirt, and cover. Wrapping the sash around his waist to hold it together, Kurama sighed and put on his sandals. Whatever the two were doing, surely Jiraiya could take care of them.

_oOo_

"I decline."

All present were surprised at Tsunade's choice, even the pig they took with them everywhere.

"I remember in the past... You saying the same thing when I asked you out on a date," Jiraiya said humorously.

"Huh?! I thought you said we came here for an interview... What's going on?!!" Naruto asked in angry confusion. "You just wanted her to come back to the village so she could check on Sasuke and Kakashi-sensei's health, right?!! Yet... you asked her to be our Hokage?!! And she declined!!!"

Shizune looked at Tsunade, whose eyes were shadowed. 'Tsunade-sama... maybe she's hesitating because of Orochimaru?' she thought to herself.

"Don't worry so much... This person right here, Tsunade... Is the only person who can become the Godaime. She was the one that brought victory in the battle... No one has been able to acquire her techniques. Also, Tsunade is the grand-daughter of the 1st Hokage. So, she is the most appropriate person for the position," Jiraiya explained. "If she becomes the Hokage... She would have to go back to the village. And then, she could check on those two. This was a decision made by the top members of the leaf. You have absolutely no say in this matter," Jiraiya said to Naruto with a rather pleasant old guy smile on his face.

Naruto made a face and looked away.

"Jiraiya... This kid seems worse than your previous apprentice. In terms of looks, speech, and intelligence," Tsunade said with a slight smirk.

"WHAT'S THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?!" Naruto shouted indignantly.

"Well... It's tough for anyone to be compared to the Yondaime... because he really had the talent... to become top-rated ninja. He was smart, reliable, and handsome like me too!" Jiraiya said with a smirk to Naruto, who turned to look at him.

"But even Yondaime died quickly," Tsunade said with a hooded look. "He gave up his life for his village..." Tsunade said, and both Jiraiya and Naruto were staring at her seriously. "Life is different from money... It can't be gambled that easily... Whoever puts it at risk so easily is a fool," Tsunade said, eyes narrowed slightly.

Naruto's eyes widened as she said that, and he gritted his teeth.

"My grand-father and the second Hokage focused too much on bringing peace to our home, more than anything else. But, as a result, they just died in the middle of their dreams, like the losers," Tsunade said bluntly.

"You've changed a lot, Tsunade... I don't know what you've been thinking all this time, but you've just said all that's on your mind," Jiraiya said.

"Well... I'm already in my 50s. Age changes people," Tsunade said back. "It's the same for Sarutobi-san. No wonder he died... Because he was too old to live in his dreams..." Tsunade said with a smirk on her face.

That comment angered Jiraiya, and he glared at Tsunade.

Naruto clenched a fist, angry with Tsunade's words.

"Being Hokage is a shit... no one but a fool would do it!"

That was enough for Naruto. Angry, he jumped at Tsunade with a fist raised. However, Jiraiya caught his shirt before he could reach her. "LET ME GO!" Naruto shouted indignantly.

"Don't you realize we're at a bar?" Jiraaiya said calmly.

A few people in the bar stared at the commotion as Naruto calmed down.

Tsunade smirked and Shizune watched her sensei warily. 'Tsunade-sama...'

"I can't forgive anyone that says bad things about our Hokage and Yondaime!" Naruto yelled angrily. "**I don't care even if she's a woman!! I'm going to kick her ass!!!**" Naruto said with a scary expression and a vein throbbing, cracking his knuckles.

All present were silent for a moment before Tsunade put a foot on the table and leaned in to Naruto's face. "You've got some guts talking to me like that," Tsuande said with a smirk, "Let's take this out side..."

"Tsunade-sama..." Shizune said desperately.

Naruto growled angrily.

_oOo_

Kurama sighed as he plopped down on a branch at the outskirts of the city. He didn't want to pay for a hotel, as he was much more comfortable outside, he didn't want to go to a bar, because pedophiles were there, no doubt. And so, he ended up staying out in the forest, bored as hell, and too tired to train, yet too restless to sleep. Quickly getting frustrated, Kurama hit his head against the back of a tree. He KNEW he had to wait, but he didn't want to...

Suddenly, an idea hit him. Why didn't he see how his speed had improved over the last year? Untying his cover enthusiastically, he tossed it on his bag. Pulling off his shirt, he threw that on top of the cover and started removing his chest weight and arm guards. Putting them on the wide tree branch, he pulled his shirt back on and took off his pants, not caring if anyone was watching (which was highly unlikely at that time of the night). Pulling off his shin guards, he placed them with his other weights and quickly pulled his pants back on. After that, he slipped on his cover and tied it. Gathering up his weights, he stuffed them into his bag and placed them inside a crevice he created in the tree. It quickly closed after he removed his hand, leaving his things safe and sound.

Hopping on his feet gently, Kurama smiled in delight when might as well have been jumping. Gently stepping off the tree branch, he landed gracefully, feeling as light as air. Doing a few quick warm ups to accustom himself to his new weightlessness, he smiled happily. It was an incredible feeling, being able to run faster than Hiei probably could. Testing himself out, he shot from one spot to another, and turned around to just barely see an after image before it vanished. Grinning, Kurama closed his eyes and smelt out Jiraiya and Naruto's trail. Finding it quickly, he shot after it so fast he almost crashed into a tree. Having to slow his speed slightly so his eyes could adjust, Kurama grinned as he raced through the forest.

Absolutely giddy with his new and amazing speed, Kurama was quick to make it to the town Jiraiya and Naruto had gone to. It took a total of 5 minutes. Stopping at the outskirts of town, Kurama wasn't impressed with his slow stop. He'd skidded a long ways before stopping, and that wasn't good. Frowning slightly, he pushed the thought away and sensed out Jiraiya and Naruto's aura. Finding them quickly on the other side of a destroyed building (castle?), Kurama jumped from the roof tops and landed beside Jiraiya in a few seconds.

His abrupt arrival surprised Jiraiya, but Naruto and a woman with blonde hair and big breasts ignored him or failed to notice him.

"I've been one of the three legendary Sennin... I don't even have to be serious to fight with this little ninja boy," Tsunade said with a smirk, eyes closed.

"SHUT UP!!" Naruto yelled.

"One finger should be enough..." Tsunade said to herself as Naruto pulled out a kunai and charged.

Kurama blinked. "Jiraiya, what the HELL is going on here? And who's the voluptuous cocky woman over there?" he asked, not turning his eyes away from the free show.

Jiraiya sighed. "Basically, Tsunade said bad things about the Yondaime, Sarutobi-san, and those who would want to be Hokage. That pissed Naruto off."

Kurama thought about it for a moment before nodding. "I see. You should update me on everything when we have the chance. I can't stay for too long. I have to train some more and pick up my new weighted vest in another two days," he said, watching as Naruto punched at Tsunade dodged Shuriken and Naruto's arm. Using quickly movements and pressure points, Tsunade stole Naruto's kunai and used it to hit Naruto's hitai-ate off. After Naruto yelled an angry 'shit', Tsunade flicked him on the forehead and sent him flying backwards.

Naruto's body dug a trench in ground before he stopped moving. Standing up slowly, Naruto's eyes widened when the kunai slammed down a few inches from his face into the ground in front of him.

Naruto's hitai-ate hit the ground with a small thump of cloth and metal.

Jiraiya and Kurama stood at the side of the street, watching.

"Unlike you... I really want to succeed the Hokage name... and I will..." Naruto said determinedly, striking a cord in Tsunade. "Because It's my dream to become Hokage..." he said with seriously with a determined expression.

Tsunade's eyes widened as she saw her little brother and Dan in Naruto's face. Her head lowered slightly in thought.

'Oh?? She's vulnerable now...' Naruto thought to himself. Bringing a hand to his face, he concentrated hard, eyes closed. When he opened them again, they were slitted slightly and tinted red, his scars accented slightly. Brining his right hand to his left, he moved his quickly, spinning the chakra and forming it into a sphere, shocking Tsunade. Naruto yelled out a war cry as he ran at Tsunade. "TAKE THIS!!"

Tsunade watched in shock as Naruto got closer to her, about to hit...

_-Toki Mirage-_


	44. Chapter FortyFour

**Kurama in Narutoland**

_oOo_

Chapter Forty-four:

_oOo_

Sorry people! But I made a typo in the last chapter about Dan being Tsunade's uncle. He's her boyfriend. I thank 'c' for pointing this out, and I have no idea why my fingers typed 'uncle'. Coff

And about the delay of the chapter… Um… blame it on fanfiction!! I became completely obsessed with Harry Potter fanfiction for a bit there (still am in fact) and haven't been reading much Naruto. HOWEVER, I made a bet with my mom that I would go fanfictionless for a month and I'd get $50. Sweet ass deal, no? Well… it sucks not being able to read them, but… oh well. N e way, this means I have time to WRITE!! Hopefully, I'll get a chapter for KSG.

_oOo_

'This Jutsu is…' Tsunade thought to herself in shock. Without finishing the thought, she raised an arm and brought a finger down onto the ground, cracking it.

Naruto lost his balance and fell forward into the crack, the Rasengan eating a hole out of the sides of the crevice.

'That Tsunade… her freakish strength hasn't changed… I remember being punched by her and ending up 100 meters away…' Jiraiya thought to himself with a grimace. 'So… Naruto still couldn't do the Rasengan…'

'Never thought he would try to use Yondaime's jutsu… but that lack of power… its nothing like Yondaime…' Tsunade thought to herself with a hand on her hip.

"Are you okay?" Shizune asked, putting a hand on Naruto's shoulder as he hacked and coughed away.

"Jiraiya! Was it you? Who's teaching him Rasengan?" Tsunade called over to the man.

"I'm his master… in principle," Jiraiya responded.

"The only people that can use that jutsu are Yondaime and you. Teaching something he cannot do, and believing you are his master… It's better if he doesn't think that way…" Tsunade said cockily, "So silly kids won't joke about foolish dreams like 'becoming Hokage'."

Naruto's eyes narrowed at that comment, and he growled slightly. "IT'S NOT A JOKE! YOU IDIOT! IDIOT!" Naruto yelled in outburst, angering Tsunade. "ALL I NEED IS THREE DAYS, AND I CAN MASTER THAT TECHNIQUE… JUST YOU WATCH!!" Naruto shouted.

"Heh… Some words, brat. A man's word should never be taken back…" Tsunade said confidently.

"I won't take my words back," Naruto said, a smirk on his face. "That is my ninja way…"

There was silence for a moment, and Kurama smiled softly. Naruto truly was of good heart…

"Well then… Is that so… I'll give you one week. If you can master that jutsu, I will acknowledge that you could become the Hokage. I'll give you this necklace," Tsunade said, jingling the cord of her priced necklace.

"TSUNADE-SAMA! THAT'S YOUR PRECIOUS…" Shizune shouted out in shock.

"I don't want that kind of ugly necklace…" Naruto muttered.

"Don't say that, Naruto… That is a very unique and precious ore that belonged to the first Hokage… If you sold it, you could by three mountains," Jiraiya told Naruto in irritation.

"Well… alright then…" Naruto said.

Kurama sweatdropped. 'I can't believe he's so hooked on money at such a young age…' he thought with a sad tone, shaking his head. The motion drew Tsunade's attention to him for the first time. He made eye contact with her, and hid a smirk at the blush on her face. 'So she thinks I'm attractive, huh… Probably thinks she'll be acting like a pedophile too…'

'Bad thoughts, Tsunade, bad thoughts…' Tsunade reprimanded herself.

"But if you can't master that Jutsu in a week," Tsunade said, holding Naruto's frog full of money in one hand, "then you lose. All your money will belong to me…"

"Ahh! My cute froggy!!" Naruto cried out in despair. 'When did she take it?!'

And so, the night ended with Jiraiya telling Shizune to take the two 'kids' to a hotel and stay there while he and Tsunade went out to drink sake.

Kurama, of course, was not pleased with being called a kid and was quick to nail Jiraiya in the gut. He ignored Tsunade's prying eyes as he dragged Naruto off to a nearby hotel, Shizune following behind.

"Kurama," Naruto asked loudly, "When are you going to start training me?"

Instantly, Kurama stopped walking. Turning around, he bent his knees so he could see eye to eye with Naruto. "You and I will train after we have a new Hokage and I can take you out of the country," he said, before pulling Naruto along again.

The blonde pouted, not noticing the curious eyes of Shizune as they walked.

_oOo_

"You've become even more beautiful…" Jiraiya said drunkenly to Tsunade.

"You haven't changed a bit. It's only you that I don't date," Tsunade said with a slight smirk.

"It's not like I'm interested…" Jiraiya muttered, "After all, she's still a 50-year-old obaa-san."

"WHAT?!"

"Nothing…"

The two of them were silent for a moment as they drank sake at the little pub. Eventually, Jiraiya brought up Orochimaru as topic of conversation.

"Going to meet up with Orochimaru, aren't you?" Jiraiya asked seriously… or as seriously as he could with a blush on his cheeks.

Tsunade's eyes widened slightly at the accusation.

"I could tell from Shizune's expression. I don't know what sort of deal he offered you, but… don't make such a hasty decision. And there is one thing I'd like to make clear to you. The past Hokages protected those who lived in the leaf village. They reigned in troubled times yet still allowed the village to have prosperity… That ideal… They bet their lives on that dream… You too should understand their feelings…

"If you ever do anything that betrays the Leaf… I'll kill you…" Jiraiya said with slightly crazed eyes.

"It has nothing to do with me…"

"Only a murderer would show no feelings knowing people close to them are dead… You're not like that, are you? You do care for the safety of those that live in the village… because that time-"

"STOP LECTURING ME ALREADY!" Tsunade yelled, temporarily silencing Jiraiya, who watched out of the corner of his eye. "Why did you bring that brat along?" she asked suddenly.

"Aren't they alike…?" Jiraiya asked with a slight smirk.

Tsunade thought back to Naruto… and an image of her little brother soon replaced him. They looked so alike… even in personality and age… And most of all, they both had the same dream. 'The dream was the same… their enthusiasm the same…' Tsunade thought to herself, eyes soft and sad.

_oOo_

Later that night, Naruto was yelling his determination to the moon when Shizune knocked and entered the room.

"I'm sorry for coming so late at night… but there was something I wanted to talk to you about," Shizune said, coming inside the room.

"What are you doing here so late? I need to sleep well today so I can train well tomorrow…" Naruto said.

"I'm sorry… but I don't want you to misunderstand Tsunade-sama… Also, that necklace is…"

"Feh, who cares about that obaa-san!!"

"Tsunade-sama is nothing like what you think of her!! Please don't talk about her as if you know here!!!" Shizune yelled, silencing Naruto. "…I'm sorry, for yelling…" she said, looking down at the floor. "Before, she wasn't like this. She used to have a caring heart that loved the village… But… she changed… All because of that day…"

Naruto's curiosity was peeked. "That day? What happened?"

"Dreams, love and hope… were all lost on that day…" Shizune said. "Tsunade lost her brother the day she gave him that necklace… Then, she met a man named Dan who agreed with her views that medic-nin should accompany the team on ninja missions. His wish, as was her brother's, was to be Hokage. And so, Tsunade-sama gave Dan her necklace as well, as good luck… During a mission, he died, with his blood covering Tsunade's hands. She has a phobia of blood because of that incident…"

Kurama at that moment decided to make his presence known (he had been listening outside the door). "Ah, good morning Naruto, Shizune-san," he said pleasantly with a smile before pretending to be surprised at the slightly tense atmosphere.

"Can you understand, Naruto?" Shizune continued on, ignoring Kurama. "From that day forth, Tsunade-sama has been struggling…" Shizune said. Her eyes widened in surprise when Naruto walked right by her with a 'blah blah blah' expression on his face.

Before exiting the door, Naruto turned around and said with a serious expression, "I'm going to train!!"

Kurama smiled slightly at Naruto's eagerness. "I'll train with you, Naruto," he said with a smirk that Naruto reciprocated. Together they left the apartment and a shocked Shizune behind.

_oOo_

"Kurama? Are you going to train me now?" Naruto whined pathetically, turning big round eyes to stare at Kurama. The redhead merely laughed lightly and smiled.

"Well, that depends. First of all, you have the Rasengan to master, and I would like to know what the final stage is," Kurama said, sitting down on a rock. The sun shone brightly near the horizon, as it was early morning, and the golden beams surrounded Naruto's golden hair, creating a halo.

"Okay!" Naruto said happily, smile lighting up his face. "The third step is to increase the spin and power, while keeping it in the shape of a perfect sphere. But whenever I try, the chakra keeps flying out of my control," Naruto said with a perplexed expression on his face.

A thoughtful expression touched Kurama's face as he eyed Naruto. Standing up, he walked around the confused boy a few times, feeling his aura and testing his chakra. What he found surprised him. Because of the slow process of molding Naruto and the Kyuubi's chakra, it was a huge strain on his body to contain it, resulting in incredible lack of control and waste of chakra. "Well, first of all, your chakra control is shit," Kurama said bluntly, surprising Naruto, "And Kyuubi's chakra merging with yours is creating a fluxuation that you have yet to get under control. I can help you there, and once you can control your chakra more efficiently, then Rasengan should be a peace of cake with your power levels. What forms of chakra control have you done thus far?" Kurama asked.

Naruto blinked. "I've walked up trees and walked on water…" he said uncomfortably under Kurama's scrutinizing gaze.

Kurama nodded in understanding and motioned for the boy to follow him. "First we will do more advanced water walking training. Since we're in a hurry, I'm going to be pushing you hard. Kyuubi should help you recover quickly, as well, so injury shouldn't be a problem," Kurama said before running into the forest at low speeds. Even at that speed, Naruto was lagging behind, causing Kurama to frown. Once they had secured the new Hokage, he was going to weigh him down with weights. His speed was abysmal.

Soon they arrived at a place Kurama had found in the area earlier. The clearing was composed of a pond and a small waterfall surrounded by flourishing wild life. It was the idea place for them to practice meditation and chakra control.

"First, Naruto, walk onto the water," Kurama instructed, watching as the blonde jumped onto the water and waited. "Get on your hands and balance."

Naruto blinked before trying it. He was up for a few seconds before plummeting into the water. When he came up again, he saw Kurama shaking his head.

"The point of this exorcise is to NOT get wet, Naruto. If you fall, I want you to release chakra from the points touching the water to keep you out of it. Now, get on your hands again," Kurama ordered.

Naruto did so, and when he fell this time, his lower end sunk a bit under the water. The blonde frowned. 'This is harder than it looks…' he thought to himself in irritation.

"Lie down on the water and keep yourself afloat, for starters."

Naruto did so, still sinking slightly. It took a few minutes till he got it right.

"Now, I want you on your stomach, doing the same thing."

Naruto did that, as well as other things such as resting his weight on one arm and a leg, and other variations. Eventually, he could fall over and land on top of the water with ease. Then Kurama had him doing hand stand pushups (Naruto glared at Kurama at this). By midday, Naruto could stay balanced on his hands on the water for an hour before falling over (and not falling into the water). The improvement shocked Kurama, as he hadn't expected him to pick up chakra control so quickly. This was a new development, and Kurama decided to milk it for all its worth.

Naruto collapsed onto the ground and rested as Kurama ran into town for lunch. Staring up at the clouds, he wondered what everyone was doing back in Konoha. Sakura was probably fawning over Sasuke… Sasuke was probably ignoring her as usual… and training. A frown formed on Naruto's face as he wondered how strong Sasuke was becoming… Getting up off the ground when Kurama showed up again, he grinned as he saw ramen, completely forgetting about his previous thoughts for a moment.

"I heard you liked ramen," Kurama said, grinning as he saw Naruto tear into the pile of noodles he had brought back. Out of the ten to-go containers, Kurama only ate two. He had had to fight with Naruto for his second, actually…

"Now that you've essentially mastered that area of chakra control, we're going to move on to another," Kurama said, walking over to the pond and sitting down on it with crossed legs. Motioning for Naruto to sit across from him, he closed his eyes and summoned forth a small portion of chakra. Bringing out his hand, he pushed the chakra into it and made a glowing sphere.

Naruto stared wide-eyed at what Kurama was doing. "I thought that was impossible… it's not even a jutsu…" he said in awe, poking the warm energy with a finger and smiling slightly.

"To humans it is, because they are unused to working it in its raw form without the seals to control the way it comes out. Rasengan is one of the exceptions in this world. Where I come from, however, we mold 'ki' with our minds and will power, and that's how we control it. We have no such things as 'seals'. What I'm going to be teaching you is a way of working with your chakra in its raw form. After we're done this training, you should easily be able to make balls of chakra to throw at opponents like bombs, exploding when they touch something.

"To begin, close your eyes and take deep breaths. The first step to molding raw chakra is to find your core, your source, and pulling a string away from it and moving it through your body to your hand, where you will keep it suspended," Kurama instructed, dissipating his chakra and watching as Naruto closed his eyes and got a scrunched up focused look on his face. Smiling slightly, Kurama went behind Naruto and started massaging his shoulders. "You need to relax Naruto. Don't try to hard, or it will never come to you. Just wait for it."

It took about two hours, but Naruto finally found his core in his minds eye and attempted to pull a small string away from it. It resisted initially, unused to being pulled from the source directly, instead of being unconsciously channeled through the body.

"Coax it away from the core, gently and comfortingly. Your core almost has a personality of its own, and it will be 'confused' at first with what you're doing, and will reject you. You must calm the energy and gently and slowly pull away a string, and then give it back. Keep doing this, taking and giving, till it gets used to being accessed directly by your consciousness."

Naruto nodded absently, and spent the next hour playing with the chakra, pulling away strands, tying them in knots, and then unraveling them and joining them onto the core again. It really did seem to have a 'mind' of its own, and was almost playful with Naruto's experimentations.

It was late night before Naruto was finally able to permanently pull away a string of chakra without the core becoming panicked. Kurama said they should turn in, but Naruto didn't want to, so they stayed out a little longer, lighting the clearing with floating balls of chakra, Naruto struggling to keep more than one in its shape for a long period of time as they kept adding more of them at different sizes. They turned it into a game soon, and green and blue balls of chakra were chasing eachother around the clearing. When two would collide, there would be a short burst of fireworks (the balls were the size of marbles, so they didn't explode much).

It was past midnight when they decided to retire to their shared room. Jiraiya was passed out on his futon, on leg hanging off and white hair a mess around him. The two genin shook their heads and went to bed, Naruto with a small smile on his face at finally having a real friend that actually liked him in return… Besides Iruka and Kakashi that is, but they were older than him. And although Sasuke was a friend, as was Sakura, he couldn't go talking about his troubles to them, they wouldn't understand. Kurama, on the other hand, was a lot like him, and they could talk about Kyuubi, demons, chakra, and those kinds of stuff together.

_oOo_

Jiraiya woke up to the sun shining on his face, a killer headache tormenting him. He groaned softly and turned to see Naruto asleep and Kurama sleeping on the window sill… That was strange. Getting an idea, Jiraiya crept forward with the stealth of a chou-hentai that never got caught (when Naruto wasn't around). Once he was an arm's distance, he pushed Kurama through the window… and was met with thin air. Eyes widening, Jiraiya swung around to see Kurama standing behind him with a raised eyebrow. "How…" he spoke in shock.

Kurama smiled pleasantly. "Surely you remember my demonic nature, Jiraiya. Besides, I'm still waiting for my weights back in that last town to be complete, which will be tomorrow morning. Once they're done, I'll be weighed down more."

"How heavy are your weights going to be now?" Jiraiya asked curiously.

Kurama smirked. "1800 pounds," he said nonchalantly.

Jiraiya's jaw dropped to the ground in shock. 'IS HE SERIOUS?!!' "You aren't shittin me, are you?"

Kurama smiled innocently. "Now why would I lie about something like that?"

Naruto chose that moment to groggily wake up and trod off to the bathroom, as he did every morning. He came back a few minutes later, still as tired as ever. "Kurama… Is it supposed to be sore?" he asked with tired eyes, yawning.

Kurama smiled. "Considering you've never exorcised it before, yes, it would be sore. Especially considering that you picked it all up so well yesterday. Now, let's go back to the clearing and continue."

Naruto nodded, got dressed quickly, and followed Kurama from the room, not acknowledging Jiraiya's existence the whole time.

The two of them traveled to the clearing, and Kurama got Naruto started on forming balls of the chakra and floating them around the clearing at varying speeds and distances. Near the end of the day, Naruto had 6 different balls going at the same time in wacky directions, each in perfect control by Naruto.

"It seems you click very well with this form of chakra training, Naruto. Maybe it is because of the demon's influence on you? After all, we never use seals for our attacks, so they're technically not even called 'jutsu'. Perhaps that was why you were struggling in the academy?" Kurama mentioned as they were taking a break, relaxing by the pond and staring up at the clouds.

Naruto's expression became thoughtful. "I suppose it's possible," he said slowly, contemplating the possibilities if it were. "It sure would explain a lot…"

Kurama smiled. "Tomorrow morning I won't be here, okay, Naruto? I'll be going back to the previous town to get something I purchased there that had to be prepared. I'll probably be back around noon, so I want you to continue training with chakra and experiment with the shapes you can form it into. See if you can create little animals made of chakra or something like that," he said, an amused smile on his face.

Naruto nodded his head and went back to staring at the clouds. "Kurama," he began, breaking the comfortable silence, "When will we start working on Rasengan?"

Smirking, Kurama said, "Not until you can pass my test."

"What test is that?"

"I'm not telling."

"…"

They continued practicing together for a few more hours before Kurama decided it was time to see if Naruto had an element. "Naruto," he called, motioning the blonde over to him.

"Yeah?" Naruto asked, blinking.

"Do you want to see if you have an element?"

Naruto face lit up with a bright smile. "YES!!"

Kurama chuckled at the scene and waited for Naruto to calm down and sit across from him. Once the blonde did, Kurama reached out and placed the tips of this index and middle fingers on Naruto's temples. Telling the blonde to relax and find his core in his minds eye, Kurama told Naruto to describe what the core looked like to him.

"Well… It's blue… the same colour as my eyes…"

"I want you to let it go. Let it do as it wants, instead of controlling it as we've been doing these past few days."

Naruto nodded his head slightly and released all control on his core while watching. What he saw, and in turn, Kurama saw, shocked the both of them.

_-Toki Mirage-_


	45. I AM ALIVE

_**I AM ALIVE!**_

Ok, first of all, to anyone who's actually still READING this horrible fic, I both thank you for your devotion and question your sanity.

So, I'm salvaging this fic. Meaning, all chapters 45 and beyond are deleted and will be adjusted to fit my current standards. Said standards are absolutely disgusted with this story, because I think it's horribly written. So, the only reason I am continuing it is to tie up a few loose ends and reward my remaining fans with a fantastic ending to a story that was slowly swirling down the drain of dead/shitty/horriblyoutofcharacterandstupid-fics. (grins) I hope you like what I do in churning out my ORIGINAL idea for this story. It's been floatin around in the back of my mind for a while.

So once again, thank you all! And happy travels on your way to insanity. I'll see you there! (winks with a sarcastic grin)


	46. Chapters 4550 with small changes

**Kurama in Narutoland**

_oOo_

Chapter Forty-five:

_oOo_

Quick summary of the few changes made:

Basically, all I did was change Naruto's core ability and get rid of the last two chapters. This chapter is just all the old stuff, and all future chapters will be brand new. Sorry for being such a lazy ass, my faithful reviewers!

_oOo_

Naruto and Kurama stared at the strange sight before them. Little blobs of blue floated around the clearing Occasionally, a blob would glow some seemingly random colour as it bounced along through the air.

"What the HELL is THAT supposed to be?" Naruto asked incredulously, poking at one of the blobs.

Kurama tilted his head to the side and walked up to one of the blobs. He poked it with his finger and gasped when some of his ki was sucked into it. He quickly pulled back his finger and backed away from the phenomenon. "It would seem… that they absorb energy."

Naruto blinked at the redhead before turning his attention back to the blob. "How come they don't steal _my_ energy?"

Kurama gave Naruto a small smile. "Because they're your energy Naruto. Your energy can't steal your energy."

The blond blinked before saying, "I knew that."

Kurama just shook his head, his green eyes dancing with amusement. Naruto could be so simple sometimes, but it was a cute sort of simple. "So, I suppose you'll have to experiment with this new ability of yours, Naru-chan. I can't really tell you how to use it… so…"

Naruto grinned and started hitting the blobs around with his hands. He was going to _enjoy_ fiddling around with _these_ things.

They had had no lunch break (Naruto had been too caught up in learning to control the movement of the blobs and making them into funny shapes) and both were starving (Naruto more than Kurama). They decided to go out for dinner (Kurama paying). Since the redhead was paying, he managed to convince Naruto to go to an actual restaurant.

Once they got there, they ordered drinks and their meals. Naruto ordered (you guessed it) ramen, and Kurama ordered an onigiri dish.

"Kurama," Naruto said as they waited for their food to come, "When we go back to Konoha with Tsunade, where are you taking me to train?"

Kurama blinked. He really hadn't thought much about that. "Well, I guess we could just travel around, go to a few different villages and offer to do missions for money to live off of. First we'll have to gain permission from Tsunade, and then we'll have to leave our hitai-ate behind, so we can't be linked back to here in case of prejudices. It would be bad for work," he thought out loud.

Naruto looked thoughtful. "What about those Akatsuki guys Jiraiya told us about a while ago?" he asked before taking a gulp of juice.

A small smirk touched Kurama's lips. "If they do, we'll be ready," he said, eyes laced with gold for that instant.

Naruto grinned as their food came, and began gulping down the giant bowl of ramen with gusto. Kurama only shook his head as he ate his onigiri, wondering where all that food went. Once they were done, Kurama paid the bill and the two of them made their way back to the hotel. Jiraiya wasn't there.

"He's probably out drinking sake," Kurama said absently as they brushed their teeth and got ready for bed. Naruto fell asleep as soon as he hit the futon. Kurama stared up at the moon from his window sill for a while before falling asleep as well.

oOo Third Morning oOo

Naruto woke up to find Kurama and his bag no where in sight. Remembering what the redhead said yesterday, he got out of bed and got dressed. Today he was going to figure out exactly what kinds of things he could pull chakra from.

oOo

Kurama smiled blissfully as he ran full speed through the forest, his eyes just barely able to keep up with his body's movements, although they adjusted pretty quickly. Soon he would be weighed down again, and could get back to his regular training tomorrow, when his hand was fully healed. He had taken off the bandages this morning and the skin was raw and sensitive. It would be back to normal tomorrow.

Arriving at the village in no time at all, Kurama came to an almost immediate stop. Climbing down the stairway into the village below, he went in search of the shop he had commissioned to weight his vest. Once he arrived, he opened the door with his left hand and entered the shop.

"Good morning, Kito. Is my vest finished yet?" Kurama asked Kito, who had been writing something on some papers at the counter.

Kito looked up at the sound of a voice, surprised at the stealth with which the boy entered the shop. "Yes, I finished it last night," Kito said, "However, I can't lift it..." Kito sweatdropped.

Kurama smiled and followed Kito into the back. Seeing the vest on a table, he went over and picked it up easily with his left hand. Kito's eyes widened in shock as the boy swung the vest on with one hand and put the other gently through the arm opening.

"I see your hand's almost healed," Kito said pleasantly, although he was still shocked at the strength of a child.

Kurama smiled. "Yes, it is. The skin is just a little raw still. Thank you for making the vest, but I should be on my way now," he said, leaving the store with a wave of his left hand.

Leaving the town, Kurama searched for the tree he had hid his other weights in. Finding them quickly, he took off his vest, cover, and shirt. Putting the weights on as quickly as he could with his tender hand, he wondered how Naruto was doing with his training. After getting redressed, he pulled on the vest and thought absently to himself how bad of a fashion horror he must be at the moment.

Running as fast as he could through the forest, he took an hour to get back to the town where Naruto and Jiraiya were staying. Going directly to the clearing where they trained, Kurama smiled upon the sight of Naruto surrounded by various blobby animals.

"Kurama! You're back!" Naruto said with a grin on his face.

Pain flashed through Kurama's eyes for a moment before disappearing. Naruto had had such a horrible childhood, and yet, here he was, smiling bright as day. It was cruel, the world, leaving one so young to carry such a burden…

"Kurama? What's wrong?" Naruto asked curiously, blinking. Here with Kurama, he didn't have to act like an idiot to be accepted. He didn't have to belittle his intelligence. With Kurama, he could relax and just be himself. Or, almost himself, as his sadder side had yet to make an appearance.

"Nothing is wrong, Naru-chan," Kurama said tenderly, a smile on his face. The shock on Naruto's face caused Kurama's smile to widen. Making his way over to the blonde boy, he sat down with him amongst the flowers, which had moved over to make room. Putting an arm around Naruto, Kurama sighed. "You know, Naruto…" Kurama began, eyes shadowed, "It's okay to cry to let out the sadness. That way, it will heal."

Naruto's eyes widened further and tears gathered in the corners. Kurama could understand him and accept him for what and who he was instantly without a thought… he was like the brother he never had. "Arigatou… Kurama," he said, snuggling into the protective hold and letting it all out. All his pain from the hatred of the village, the pain of being an outcast, the pain… of never belonging…

It was a while later when Naruto finally fell asleep amongst his tears. The child-like innocence on the boy's face elicited a smile from Kurama, and he wrapped the boy in his arms and lied down upon the grass, the flowers sharing Kurama's sorrow for the blonde. They remained that way until late into the night, relaxing in eachother's presence. Naruto was the first to awaken, and smiled at the sight of Kurama's relaxed and unguarded face. He had never seen him so peaceful before… not even when he had slept at the hotel.

"Kurama," Naruto said, shaking the redhead.

Kurama woke instantly, opening his jade eyes. Blinking up at Naruto, he smiled gently. "What do you want to do now? Go for a walk? Train some more? Eat?" he asked.

Naruto looked thoughtful for a moment before asking, "Kurama… what do brothers usually do together?"

Slightly surprised at the random question, Kurama thought for a moment. "Well, brothers look out for each other, play games together, and do things together…"

"What kinds of things?" Naruto asked with an adorably innocent expression.

Kurama smiled widely at the look on Naruto's face. "Well, they could watch movies together, hang out together, that sort of stuff, I guess. I've never really had a brother before… really close friends, sure, but never a brother…"

"Why don't we go and have some fun in the town? Play video games together? I've never done that before…" Naruto said in a soft voice.

Kurama stood up, pulling Naruto with him. "Let's do it then!" he said enthusiastically. "First, though, I want to get changed into a different outfit," Kurama said with a wink.

oOo

"WHOA! WHAT'S THAT!" Naruto exclaimed as he turned around and saw Kurama in blood red cargo pants and vest, with a black sleeveless shirt underneath a long-sleeved net shirt that clung to the body. The weighted arm protectors looked just like real ones, and would arouse no suspicion.

Kurama only smirked at Naruto and did a turn-around. "If you want, we can get you an outfit like this, or similar to this," he said with a smile. "After all, that ridiculously orange outfit would do you no good if you were ever on a stealth mission," he said pleasantly.

Naruto only glared at him and huffed. "I like orange," he said childishly.

Kurama rolled his eyes and sighed, "Regardless, if you're going to be traveling and training with me, then you ARE going to get a different outfit. Better sooner rather than later."

The blonde didn't say anything as they left the hotel to go for a night on the town. Together they played video games, went and watched a late night movie, and had junk food and candy. It was the best day of Naruto's life, and he enjoyed it to its fullest.

oOo Fourth Morning oOo

Naruto groggily opened his eyes, a killer headache on the loose. It wasn't that he had had a lot of sake… he'd just had a lot of sake. Courtesy of Kurama, of course, who had used henge to look like an old man and buy the alcohol. "My head hurts," he complained softly as he sat up on his futon.

"You're the one who decided that you could handle three bottles of sake. I only had one, and I'm fine," Kurama said with a smirk on his face from the window sill.

Naruto only glared and stumbled to the bathroom.

Kurama shook his head after Naruto left the room, an amused expression on his face. His expression turned calm and serene after a moment as he thought, 'We have a lot of work to do today. Now that he knows how to access his core, he needs to learn how to control _Kyuubi's_ core. _That _I can help him with, and this endeavor will definitely take some time.'

oOo

After Kurama had given Naruto a plant that helped with hangovers, he was back to normal and ready to have some fun. "What are we doing today, Kurama?" Naruto asked curiously as they arrived at the clearing.

Kurama smiled slightly. "Today, you and Kyuubi are getting better acquainted. I want you able to control meager amounts of his chakra reserves within the day, enough to create a relatively strong Rasengan."

Blue eyes widened in surprise and anticipation. "Really! We get to work on the Rasengan!"

Nodding with a small smile, Kurama motioned for Naruto to sit down. "Now, both you and Kyuubi and have some sort of agreement at the moment, right?"

"Yep. He gives me chakra as rent for living in my body."

"Our goal will be to make the two of you _friends_. It is better for you to get along opposed to being enemies connected with a small and fragile truce. If Kyuubi were to be given the chance at freedom this very moment, he would take it. We need you to be his friend, although you are his host. That way, he may not wish to leave you if the time comes," Kurama said slowly and calmly to make sure Naruto didn't miss anything.

Seeing Kurama's seriousness, Naruto nodded his head and accepted the fact that he would have to become friends with the stupid fox.

Kurama smiled at Naruto acceptance and moved his hands to the boy's temples, sending them into his mind.

oOo

Kurama's eyes opened to the sight of a waterlogged hallway and dripping pipes. Following Naruto through the maze, they soon arrived at Kyuubi's cage.

"**What do you want THIS time, human?**" Kyuubi said to Naruto, his eyes and teeth showing through the shadows.

Naruto glanced at Kurama before turning his attention back to Kyuubi. "I want us to be friends. Are you willing to try?" he asked, ignoring his fear of the giant fox.

"**You wish to be _friends_, with me? Why?**"

"So that your condition may not be a burden to the both of you for as long as Naruto lives? Perhaps it would be advantageous if the two of you trusted and liked each other? Perhaps you could leave Naruto's body now and then, Kyuubi, and not be trapped in here with your host hating your very existence?" Kurama said persuasively.

Kyuubi seemed to be thoughtful for a moment before retreating into the shadows, only to come out again in his humanoid form. "**_How do you suppose I could come out?_**" Kyuubi asked curiously.

Kurama smiled. "Well, I'm sure you know of a way he could summon you in your fox form, and perhaps you two, together, can develop a way for you to come out humanoid. Something like… Kuchiyose Kyuubi Bunshin no Jutsu?" he supplied.

Kyuubi seemed genuinely intrigued.

"As the two of you will be stuck together for Naruto's life-time, maybe both of you could enjoy it to its fullest and help each other out?" Kurama said.

Slitted red eyes turned to Naruto, who was watching the exchange curiously. "**_Would you willingly share your body with me?_**" he asked with no expression.

Naruto looked thoughtful for a moment before saying, "If we become friends, then we could also share control of the body itself. However, how will I know that you won't turn your back on me if you are ever given the opportunity to leave me?"

"**_It is physically impossible for me to leave this place and take control of your body. The seal must be removed for us to share the body that intimately. The Kuchiyose Kyuubi Bunshin no Jutsu could work, however. A Kuchiyose Kyuubi no Jutsu could also work. I also believe that a Kyuubi Bunshin no Jutsu would work as well. With the first I would be summoned in my humanoid form, the second in my fox form, and the last as a Naruto bunshin with me in control. That is as close as I can get to 'coming out' with the seal still in place. If we don't remove it, I will also eventually be absorbed into your chakra, and exist no more. This would adversely affect you, and your physical appearance as well as chakra may change in ways you would not want it. If we kept the two separate, then you wouldn't have to worry about controlling a massive amount of chakra if something… strange happens_**," Kyuubi explained to Naruto, who was looking rather amazed.

"You mean, we could have done this from the start and not hated each other so much? Imagine the benefits of getting along…" Naruto trailed off as ideas flashed through his mind.

"Not only that, but Kyuubi could teach you many amazing things. You two would become great together. There is also a negative side to that. If the relationship ever becomes sour, or Naruto's will is changed somehow, then the world could very well come to an end. The two of you have to understand the fine line you will be standing on between good and evil," Kurama said with a serious expression on his face.

Kyuubi looked thoughtful for a moment before saying with a small smile, "**_I agree to a friendship between the two of us_**."

Naruto promptly gaped at Kyuubi in shock, and the demon merely started laughing at the expression on the blonde's face.

"**_You didn't think that I was really some all-evil-demon-from-another-dimension-bent-on world-destruction, did you?_**" Kyuubi said with amusement shining in his sharp eyes.

"Then why did you attack Konoha?" Kurama asked curiously.

"**_I didn't do it of my own free will, if that's what you're thinking. Some pathetic little human just came along and thought they could control me after they had summoned me from the demon realm. I believe they held a grudge against the village for some stupid reason_**," Kyuubi said dismissively, shrugging his shoulders.

"What was the human's name?" Naruto asked.

Kyuubi's eyes flashed coldly. "**_I believe he called himself Orochimaru_**."

_-Toki Mirage-_

oOo

Nice lil' cliffhanger, ne? Not sure if it's true in the manga, but as you've noticed, I've FINALLY come near the point where I branch off from the manga. THANK GOODNESS! Copying manga is SO boring! You have no idea! )shudder( bleagh!

**Kurama in Narutoland**

_oOo_

Undoubtedly, you have all wondered, at some point, about NEJI! All I'll tell you is that I'm not sure what I'm going to do with the two of them yet. For all I know, Neji DIES.

_oOo_

Chapter Forty-six:

_oOo_

Naruto's breath was ragged as he rested his exhausted body. He had managed to successfully execute the Kyuubi Bunshin no Jutsu, but it took a lot of energy out of him to get Kyuubi to remain in existence for more than a few seconds. "What am I doing wrong?" he breathlessly asked Kurama.

A gentle frown had been occupying Kurama's face for a while now as he watched Naruto struggle with the Jutsu. "You're chakra control is far better than normal, and you waste very little when doing a jutsu. However, it seems that your chakra reserves aren't strong enough to support Kyuubi's energy. We're going to have to increase your chakra, and in order to do that, we'll also have to increase physical strength. Does Kyuubi have any different ideas?"

Naruto spaced out for a moment before saying, "He agrees with you."

"Then we're going to have to get you some weights and new clothes. I don't have any money right now, though, so we're going to have to 'borrow' some from Jiraiya…" Kurama said with a mischievous smirk.

Naruto grinned as the two of them planned a way to swipe some money from Jiraiya's wallet.

Later that night, when Kurama had gotten Jiraiya sufficiently drunk to the point where he passed out, the redhead slipped some money from Jiraiya's pocket after taking him back to the hotel. After having completed their little 'mission', Kurama and Naruto headed back out into the forest to train until it was time to sleep. The next day they would go buy Naruto a nice outfit and a whole crap load of weights.

Kurama had long since managed to perfect the Rasengan up to level 3, and was helping Naruto with focusing the energy and pouring power into it. Kurama would force him to keep the Rasengan activated for hours at a time, constantly pouring more power into it and trying to keep the upped amount of chakra under control.

Around midnight the two of them fell asleep in the flowers again, Naruto extremely exhausted and Kurama tired from the extra weight.

oOo Fifth Morning oOo

Naruto blearily opened his eyes to find Kurama nowhere in sight. Blinking, he sat up and yawned. Looking up at the sky, he saw that it was around noon. 'Kurama let me sleep in… why?' he thought to himself with a confused frown on his face.

"Perfect time to wake up, I just finished shopping."

Blue eyes looked up to see a grinning Kurama, a few bags hanging from his hands. "What did you get?" he asked sleepily.

A warm chuckle filled the air as Kurama sat down beside Naruto. "First of all, I bought you a wicked new outfit. Then I got you some weights, and some ramen to go," Kurama said, pulling stuff out of the bags as he spoke. Smirking, Kurama handed Naruto a pair of black cargo pants and shirt with net sleeves. "Go put those on, as well as these boots and socks," he said, shoving the purchased items into Naruto's arms.

The blond boy blinked and went into the bushes to do as he was told.

When he came back, he saw Kurama smile at the site of him. Naruto blushed lightly as he stared down at the outfit. He watched as Kurama stood up and walked over to him. He put a black vest on Naruto's shoulders, and the boy put his arms through the holes. It hung nicely on him, going a little ways past his hips. A belt with pouches on it was placed on his hips, which was full of kunai, medical supplies, shuriken and a few other things. To finish it all off, Kurama put on shin-guards and arm-guards that were incredibly heavy and suited the outfit well.

"There. Now I'm not embarrassed to be walking along the street with you," Kurama said playfully, shoving Naruto a little with his arm. The slight nudge caused the boy to lose his balance, and he went toppling to the ground with a thud. Kurama blinked innocently. "Wow, looks like those weights are heavier than I thought they'd be…"

Naruto glared at him from the ground and slowly pulled himself up, struggling. "Kurama! How am I supposed to be able to move with these things!"

The redhead only smirked. "We're going to play a game of tag. If you catch me, I'll let you eat your lunch. If you don't, then I'll eat it all by myself."

Naruto's eyes widened, but before he could say anything, Kurama had run off with the ramen. Grimacing, Naruto ran after Kurama, forcing his strained muscles to work under the pressure of gravity.

oOo Sixth Morning oOo

Naruto grimaced as he woke the next morning. (Not only had Kurama not let him eat the day before, but he'd had to nurse his bruises on his own with his new medical supplies). They trained all day, running, and doing pushups and other such exercises. Once Naruto was exhausted that evening (and after they ate supper), they practiced chakra control by walking on the stream, climbing trees, and battling eachother with small balls of chakra.

Naruto was out like a light as soon as his head hit the grass. Kurama stayed up a little while longer to train himself to get used to the weights. Because of his and Naruto's quick healing, they excelled quickly after a good night sleep.

_oOo_

"Tomorrow is the end of the bet with Naruto, Right?"

Tsunade was silent as she fiddled with something in her hand.

"I wonder how he is doing…" Jiraiya said as he tipped back his glass of sake.

While he wasn't looking, Tsunade slipped some powder into the sake bottle. She watched as he poured some in his cup and got ready to drink.

"Thanks for waiting! Your radish is ready," the man behind the bar said, placing the dish on the counter.

"Ah! That looks good…" Jiraiya said, before drinking the sake in one gulp.

_oOo_

"Tomorrow..." Shizune began, "please, don't go!"

Tsunade didn't say anything, and continued to stare out the window.

"Why won't you say anything? Tsunade-sama! Answer my request! If…. You say you're going…" Shizune trailed off.

"What will you do?"

"Even if it costs me my life… I will stop you!" Shizune said bravely.

"Shizune…" Tsunade began with a deadly expression, "who do you think you're talking too…?"

Tsunade walked by and punched her in the stomach. The last thing Shizune saw was Tsunade walking out the door.

oOo Final Morning oOo

"Sir! It's morning! Please, wake up already!" the owner of a small stall called to an old man sleeping on the counter. "Geez! Yo?" he yelled, shoving the old man. The limp body fell off the counter. "H-Hey! What's wrong!"

_oOo_

Meanwhile, Orochimaru and Kabuto were running through the forest, heading to the place they had made the deal with Tsunade. "It would be a problem if there was interference during the exchange," Orochimaru said to Kabuto.

"What are you suggesting?" Kabuto asked calmly.

"Tsunade's associate… It might be best to kill her…"

Kabuto's expression darkened as he pulled out a kunai, stopped himself against a tree, and shot off to the side.

_oOo_

Naruto and Kurama stared at the sight of Shizune on the floor of her apartment. Both of them had come to see Tsunade because Naruto wanted to show her he had won the bet. However, there was no sign of Tsunade and Shizune was off in dreamland.

"Hey! Wake up!" Naruto said, shaking Shizune roughly.

When she woke up, she exclaimed, "Oh no! What day is it!"

Naruto backed off, surprised. "M-Monday… why?" he asked, blinking.

"Where is Tsunade?" Kurama asked the wincing woman, who was clutching her stomach.

"Yeah! Today's the day of the bet, and I wanna show her that I can do it!" Naruto said with a grin on his face.

'Oh, yea… I have to get moving!' Shizune thought, remembering what was supposed to happen that day. "Naruto-kun, Kurama-kun, stay here!" she yelled as she prepared to jump out the window. A thrown kunai stopped her in her tracks, however.

Kurama, Naruto, and Shizune looked at the one who had thrown the kunai.

"Shizune… Wait…" a sweating and weak-looking Jiraiya said.

The three of them helped him to sit down and listened to his explanation.

"That damn Tsunade drugged my sake. I can't release my chakra well and my whole body stings… I can't even hold chopsticks…" he managed to get out.

Kurama rolled his eyes and bashed Jiraiya over the head. "Couldn't you be more cautious around people? One of these days we won't be around to save your ass," he said indifferently, his expression rather cold.

Naruto looked at Kurama in surprise before turning to look at Jiraiya's indignant look. He sniggered quietly to himself.

**oOo** AN: this is mangacopying, (which is boring as HELL) so if you want to skip ahead, I'll have a bunch of **oOo** symbols where it's changed. (there might be small irregularities in the copied bit).** oOo**

Kabuto watched the exchange with surprise on his face. 'Jiraiya-sama is with them…? This complicates thing… I'll have to report this to Orochimaru-sama. But Naruto-kun… why are you here…?'

_oOo_

Kurama gave Jiaiya a significant look and a tiny jerk of his head in the direction of a ninja he sensed nearby. Jiraiya looked and caught sight of gray hair disappearing around the corner.

"Hey… Shizune… Your negotiations with Orochimaru… It's about time you tell us…" Jiraiya trailed off, giving Shizune the look.

"Orochimaru?" Naruto muttered to himself in surprise.

"…I wished to believe in Tsunade-sama… So I remained silent… But now…" Shizune lowered her head, eyes shadowed. Standing up, she exclaimed in a determined voice, "We don't have much time! Follow me! I'll explain on the way!

"Right!"

"I'm coming too!"

"…"

_oOo_

Tsunade stood, back turned to the newly arrived Orochimaru.

"Your decision?" he asked her in that cold snake-like voice of his.

Tsunade was silent.

_oOo_

"She has to say no!" Naruto exclaimed as they jumped through the trees. Kurama silently agreed with him.

'This could get really nasty…' Jiraiya thought to himself, a dark look on his face. 'Tsunade still hasn't been able to release their memory and move on…' he thought as they glimpsed the place of meeting through the trees. 'Depending on her answer… I may really have to kill her!" Jiraiya thought grimly.

Naruto's eyes were narrowed as they approached the destroyed castle, while Kurama's expression remained impassive.

_oOo_

"I will heal your arms… In exchange, you will not touch the village…" Tsunade finally spoke.

"Heh heh… All right," Orochimaru said with an evil smirk on his face.

Images of Tsunade's younger brother and boyfriend flashed through her mind. Tears leaked down her face as she walked towards Orochimaru.

_oOo_

"If his arms are healed, he will attach the leaf again!" Shizune called to Jiraiya.

"If we don't stop Orochimaru now, an even more dangerous situation may occur."

'Damnit!' Naruto projected the thought at Kurama.

)That would be agreed upon, Naruto. I have yet to show Orochimaru my 'appreciation' for the damned seal he 'bestowed' upon me,( Kurama projected back, sarcasm lacing his every word.

Naruto turned to look at Kurama, but his face did not betray the hatred he felt for the snaky bastard.

_oOo_

Kabuto landed on the tile roofed wall, a thoughtful expression on his face as he watched a ball of energy appear between Tsunade's hands. The two of them jumped apart when he threw a kunai at between the two of them, sensing her wish to kill. Jumping down from the wall, he landed a ways behind Orochimaru.

"What is this… To come this far, and betray me…" Orochimaru said, his eyes widening angrily as he finished, "TSUNADE!"

Kabuto remained silent behind Orochimaru.

"How could come to an answer like this, Tsunade-hime? To try to kill me... But I trust you, Kabuto from the bottom of my heart. Your loyalty, and the ability to see Tsunade's attack…"

"Yes… We both began from the medical field, so… Her chakra was full of intent to kill," Kabuto explained.

"Tsunade, I really intended to revive those two. I even promised not to destroy the Leaf…" Orochimaru said.

Tsunade looked down. "Heh. Orochimaru, I know that you not touching the Leaf was a lie. I knew that but… I… Those two people… Even for just one more time… I wanted to see them… Even for just one more time… their smiling faces… But… I'll really be able to see Nawaki and Dan again. The moment I felt that on my skin, I realized to myself… that I am a total fool." Tsunade, said, tears falling from her eyes. "Those two's faces, from just remembering them… For me to become this blind… I loved them, because I truly love them1 I wanted to see and hug them! But I couldn't," Tsunade said as she thought of Naruto. "Because of that brat., because I now remember those two's dreams. I had tried to forget. The dream to become Hokage. Having those dreams come true was also my wish. All things that have shape eventually decay, you've said that. But… Only this feeling… will not decay," she said, a sad frown on her faces as she cried.

"So the deal if off… No choice then, we'll have to force you to do it."

Tsunade wiped the tears from her face and stared at Orochimaru with steely eyes. Jumping up, she slammed her high-heeled foot down onto Orochimaru, who jumped out of the way. The ground cracked and broke like a spider-web, the walls around the road collapsing under the tremendous force of the woman.

"Let's do it, Kabuto!" Orochimaru said from where he had landed with Kabuto.

"I told you… this medicine is going to be beyond bitter!"

"…come! OROCHIMARU!" Tsunade said, anger rolling off her in waves.

"Now that I think about it, I realize I never fought against you before…" Orochimaru said, trailing off.

"THAT'S TRUE…" Tsunade said, throwing off her 'coat' as she charged at Orochimaru.

"I wonder how you could say that… It's me who is fighting her now…" Kabuto said.

"YOU BASTARDS, I'LL KILL ALL OF YOU HERE NOW!" Tsunade yelled, pulling back a fist as she punched down the wall from beneath them.

"Even one hit can end your life…" Orochimaru warned Kabuto.

"Yes, I can tell…" Kabuto said. "This place is a bit too crowded for this kind of fight…"

"Are you planning on moving this fight elsewhere?"

"I think that would be wise. There was also someone with Tsunade's servant who worries me… we don't know when he might come and help her out."

"Who is it?" Orochimaru asked.

"Jiraiya."

Orochimaru's eyes widened a fraction in surprise.

'I won't let you escape,' Tsunade thought to herself as she watched Kabuto and Orochimaru jump away.

_oOo_

The four ninja (and pig) stared at the destruction in awe.

"Whoa… that Tsunade-hime has gone pretty wild," Jiraiya said with a smirk.

'So… Tsunade-sama has declined!' Shizune thought to herself in worry.

"Ton-ton! Which way did she go!" Shizune asked the pig, who began following its nose.

_oOo_

Tsunade huffed, surrounded by indents in the ground and half-destroyed rocks. Kabuto stood across from her, in a similar condition.

"Tsunade seems to be running out of breath," Orochimaru commented. "It might be good to use 'it' now…"

"Although I'm not that strong with taijutsu…" Kabuto said, reaching into his pouch. He plopped a soldier pill in his mouth. After he was done chewing, he did a bunch of fast seals before pulling his hands apart to reveal them covered with chakra.

'So this child also knows medical ninja techniques,' Tsunade thought to herself as she watched Kabuto disappear with a poof of smoke. He reappeared below her, and she jumped up before slamming her fist into where Kabuto just was.

Kabuto kicked a rock, breaking it into many small pieces before appearing behind Tsunade, who had flipped backwards. He touched a few places on her body with his chakra-covered hands before she managed to hit him away.

"Ouch!" Tsunade exclaimed as she tried to move her body. 'Muscles!' she thought in surprise as she stared at her trembling biceps.

"I've cut your biceps and abdominal muscles. You won't be able to use your powerful strength."

"Chakra scalpel… Why aren't you aiming at my arteries?" Tsunade asked from her place on the ground.

"Certainly, with this chakra scalpel, I could have severed al l your muscles and blood vessels… However, during a fight, I can't maintain one long and precise enough to penetrate all the way to your arteries and hear muscles. Well, either way, as long as I aim for your neck, there shouldn't be a problem…" Kabuto said as he rushed at Tsunade, who was trying to stand.

Tsunade tried to dodge, but Kabuto's hand hit her upper chest. She burst into a fit of coughs. "Shit! You hit my lung muscles… can't breathe…" 'This boy is not an ordinary medical ninja. His senses and strength may exceed even my own in my prime.'

"It would be troublesome if you were to die now… So I won't aim for your neck. But you won't be able to move around," Kabuto said confidently as he pushed the bridge of his glasses up. His eyes widened in surprise as Tsunade hit him on the back of the neck with a chop. His body was sent flying across the ground. 'I see… she isn't ordinary… an average person would just suffer and not be able to move at all… Did it not penetrate deep enough because of her fat breasts?' Kabuto wondered as Tsunade collapsed coughing. 'It seems that… I need to be a little more serious… What?' Kabuto's eyes widened as he stared down at his body. 'I'm trying to move my hand… but my leg is moving? Is this…!' Kabuto's thoughts were interrupted by Tsunade punching him in the face. 'This… this isn't caused by my muscles… it's caused by the nervous system…!'

"You seem to have realized… Yes, it is a result of your nerves. I changed my chakra into electricity and sent the electric waves into your nervous system!" Tsunade announced before doing some quick hand seals and healing her chest.

Meanwhile, Kabuto was doing a quick check over his body to figure out what made his body move which way. 'It's tiresome, but… Now I've figured out how to use 80 of my body.' "Don't think with that level of technique, you will be able to defeat me!" Kabuto said as he pulled out a kunai.

'What! He already figured out how to control his body? This boy is no ordinary ninja…'

"You're afraid of blood, right! I'll show you some now! I'll scatter just enough blood until you are at the brink of death…" Kabuto said as he ran at Tsunade. However, he was interrupted by an explosion of smoke.

When the smoke had floated away with the wind, it revealed Jiraiya, Naruto, Shizune, Kurama, and Ton-ton.

"Long time no see, Jiraiya," Orochimaru said coldly.

"You haven't changed at all, Orochimaru. Those wild eyes…" Jiraiya said cockily.

"Naruto-kun…" Kabuto greeted.

"WHA!" Naruto exclaimed in surprise.

"Kabuto-san. Fancy seeing you here," Kurama said calmly, his voice betraying no surprise or emotion (though he wasn't surprised anyway).

"I see you know who he is…" Jiraiya commented, looking side-ways at Kurama and Naruto.

Tsunade gritted her teeth and hit Jiraiya out of the way. "MOVE!" she shouted as she ran at Kabuto.

"Hey!" Jiraiya shouted indignantly.

Kabuto raised his kunai and slashed his wrist right in front of Tsunade, who stopped and stared at the blood in horror as she began to shake. "My body has finally started to move." 'It is bad even for me to go against two of the three great ninjas… I'LL STOP THEM!' Kabuto thought to himself as he punched Tsunade back.

Shizune caught Tsunade as she was sent flying.

"Hey! Hey! What the heck's going on! Why is Kabuto fighting Tsunade!" Naruto exclaimed in surprise.

"You are so thick, Naruto-kun. That's why you can't compare to Sasuke-kun," Kabuto said as he huffed slightly.

**oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo**

"Naruto. His headband," Kurama stated calmly. )Naruto, your emotions are on display. You and I are going to have to work on that.(

)I can't believe that bastard betrayed the leaf!(

"Unlike Sasuke-kun, you have no talent in becoming a shinobi," Kabuto said factually.

Naruto's eyes widened slightly before turning to look at Kurama, who was chuckling gently.

"And you are one to judge," Kurama said serenely, a disarming smile on his face as he shrugged out of his vest and gently placed it on the ground. "Naruto will become a very skilled shinobi over time, and everybody has their special talents. My talent…" Kurama suddenly disappeared, reappearing instantly behind Kabuto. A kunai stabbed itself through Kabuto's shoulder before he could move and twisted roughly.

"…_**is the ability to kill."**_

_+Toki Mirage+_

(Runs and hides from people who are scary and hate cliffhangers.)

**Kurama in Narutoland:**

_oOo_

Chapter Forty-seven:

_oOo_

My talent…" Kurama suddenly disappeared, reappearing instantly behind Kabuto. A kunai stabbed itself through Kabuto's shoulder before he could move and twisted roughly.

"…**_is the ability to kill."_**

Kabuto's eyes widened in shock before his roughly pulled away from Kurama and jumped towards Orochimaru. Using a medical jutsu, Kabuto quickly healed his wound. "What would you have me do, Orochimaru?" he whispered.

Orochimaru thought for a moment before smirking. "Kill Tsunade and the redhead brat. I will not have them interfering with my fight with Jiraiya."

"Yes Orochimaru-sama," Kabuto said before appearing beside Tsunade, who was covered with Shizune's coat. Shizune jumped forward to protect the paralyzed Tsunade and kill Kabuto. Holding a kunai in her hand, she stabbed at Kabuto only to have him kick her away. As Kabuto went in for the kill, Kurama appeared in his way and nailed him in the stomach. The white-haired jounin flew backwards across the ground, and his body dug a trench in the dirt. When Kabuto looked up, his eyes were met with smirking amber gems. The killer-intent radiated off of Kurama in waves of dark energy as the curse reacted to his lust for blood and began spreading across his body.

Becoming quickly annoyed by the dark seal eating away at his chakra, Kurama quickly burnt off all the chakra of the curse seal in a huge burst of energy. The tainted chakra oozed out and killed any small signs of life in the barren area. Smirking at Kabuto's shocked expression, Kurama accessed his chakra reserves to increase his speed to rush at Kabuto. His chakra-enhanced muscles increased his speed to the point where it looked like a flash of light to even Orochimaru's eyes.

Before he could react, Kabuto had a Rasengan in his stomach. The chakra ate away at his organs and exploded outwards when Kurama released control of it. The result was bloody. His body was literally torn to shreds with bits of bone, organ, skin, and blood flying everywhere. Kurama's expression was indifferent as he 'powered down' and golden eyes faded to green.

Naruto was shocked. Not only had Kurama easily defeated a _jounin_, but he had done it so... ruthlessly. Naruto emptied his stomach on the ground and turned his eyes away from the sight. Shizune was glad that Tsunade had been turned away from it, and Orochimaru and Jiraiya stopped their fight to stare.

Kurama merely walked back to Naruto and stood there calmly and emotionlessly. He was just like the roses he loved. Beautiful but deadly. "It seems I killed your servant, Orochimaru," he stated as if talking about the weather.

Orochimaru glared at Kurama and sweated slightly as he looked back and forth between Jiraiya and the others. "I'll be back to kill you, Kurama!" Orochimaru vowed nastily before disappearing into the ground and fading from the area.

Kurama walked calmly over to Naruto and rubbed his back gently. "Be aware that that will be the result of the Rasengan if you use it on a person, Naruto," he said gently before standing and pulling Naruto up with him. "Sometimes, regardless of the gore, you must do things you would rather not."

Tsunade looked up at Kurama as he said those words and then over at the bloody splatter that had been Kabuto. Her shuddering increased drastically before slowly quieting. Kurama's calm and gentle words finally pierced through her and made her come to terms with her fear of blood.

"Even if you have a fear of blood, you must do things that you must or you will never live your life," Kurama said, aiming the comment (obviously) at Tsunade. She relaxed and stared down at her hands before smiling slightly.

"Perhaps a brat like you is right. I must move on," Tsunade said as she stood up with her hands holding Shizune's coat on her shoulders. "Jiraiya, I have decided to become the Godaime," she said with a smile on her face; she looked at Naruto. "Have you mastered the Rasengan?" she asked.

Naruto smirked before forming a perfect Rasengan in the palm of his hand with little effort. "Of course, obaa-chan," he said with a smirk.

Tsunade's eye twitched in irritation and she went to smack Naruto into the ground. As he closed his eyes, she smiled and put the necklace around his neck. He blinked in surprise after feeling it put on before smiling back.

"Good job, Naruto," she said and kissed him on the forehead.

Kurama smirked at Naruto with a suggestive expression. Naruto quickly bashed him up the side of the head and chased him playfully around the group; both were grinning.

_oOo_

They decided to spend the night at a nice restaurant and enjoy the last evening they would have together before they had to get to work. It was then that Kurama told Jiraiya about him taking Naruto away to train.

"Five years? That long?" Jiraiya asked in surprise.

Kurama resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Five years isn't nearly ENOUGH. It is the minimum. If I have to, I will extend it with or without your permission. Naruto MUST learn how to fully access **its** chakra and forms."

"In the end, it is _my_ decision," Tsunade said, a slight blush on her face from the sake. "I am the Hokage after all."

Kurama sighed. "Yes Hokage-sama. I would never be able to go against your orders, but I must stress how important this is."

Tsunade blinked. "Why wouldn't you just ignore my orders?"

A red eyebrow twitched in annoyance. "I had pledged my allegiance to Sandaime and agreed to take orders from all Hokage after him. I am Konoha's secret weapon, and I cannot go against a direct order unless I think that Konoha's system has become corrupted or otherwise," he stated as calmly and slowly as he could.

Tsunade stared at Kurama. "You mean I could ask you to do _anything_ and you'd just up and do it?"

"If it were your orders."

Tsunade blinked. "Wow. I got me the perfect little assistant," she said with a grin. "Now I don't have to do all the paperwork."

Kurama stared at Tsunade like she was stupid. He hit his head repeatedly on the table. "I am a weapon, not a servant. I will NOT do paperwork."

Tsunade grinned. "What if I ordered you to have sex with me?"

Naruto passed out from a nosebleed then and there. Jiraiya and Shizune stared at Tsunade in shock. Kurama's expression was carefully clear of any emotion.

"For one, I happen to be gay. For another, a Hokage ordering shinobi around for their personal pleasure (pun intended) would be a sign of corruption," he said casually, sipping on his sake.

Tsunade chuckled and acted like she wasn't serious. On the inside, however, she was thinking, 'Damnit! He's gay!' "Well, I suppose you could leave for five years. When will you leave, though?" she asked.

Kurama smiled slightly. "We will be leaving immediately. I need to find a secure place to put up a barrier to keep others from detecting his chakra. That will take a few months of very fast traveling."

Tsunade nodded, and they continued to enjoy their last evening together.

_oOo_

The next morning Kurama and Naruto left into the sunset in a classic farewell.

_-Toki Mirage-_

**I'm VERY sorry for this taking so long (and being so short)! **I've been really busy for these last two months, I just got back from a two week band trip a week ago, and I'm just REALLY BUSY! Plus my stupid brother fuckin fried the hard drive, trying to hook it up with another one. Sparks flew, literally. So I had to rewrite this chapter and stuff. I know the fight was lame, but Orochimaru is rather insignificant in the large sceme of things, so I'm killing him soon. Remember, this is (finally) breaking off from the manga! (cheers inside.) Copying manga is REALLY boring! X.x

**Kurama in Narutoland**

_oOo_

Chapter Forty-eight:

_oOo_

Naruto smiled as they made their way at a leisurely pace through the forest. The sun was shining, the wind was blowing, and the natural scent of the forest plumed around them like smoke. "Kurama," Naruto said with a cute curious look, "where are we going, anyway?"

Kurama merely smiled mysteriously.

"And what about Neji? Wouldn't he be mad if he didn't see you for five years?"

Kurama's smile was wiped off his face immediately and was replaced by one of contemplation. "I could always leave you to a set of training exercises and visit him," he said simply.

A horrified look made its way to Naruto's face. "You aren't going to be like ero-sennin, are you?" he asked with wide eyes.

Kurama's melodious laugh spread through the foliage at the question. "Of course not, but I can't baby you along either. You have to become independent, as I won't always be there to help you out in the future."

"That makes sense," Naruto said carefully after a pause.

"Of course, this will be no easy training. Not by a long shot," Kurama said with a sadistic grin.

Naruto's eyes widened and he groaned slightly. "You're as bad as that second exam examiner," he complained.

Kurama merely chuckled. "I'm sure."

_-Toki Mirage-_

**Kurama in Narutoland**

_oOo_

Chapter Forty-nine:

_oOo_

It was barely lunch time, yet Tsunade was already sick of the mounds of paperwork on her desk. If she'd known the Hokage had to do THIS much paperwork, she would _never_ have accepted the proposition. Rubbing at her temples, she groaned softly. This called the attention of Shizune to her.

"Are you are right, Tsunade-sama?" she asked as she added another pile of paper to the pile.

"Just tense," she said, rubbing at her neck with her hands.

Shizune silently walked up behind her and began giving her a massage with chakra. She worked out all the knots of a grateful Tsunade and proceeded to get rid of her headache. "Maybe you should take a break if it's this stressful?" she suggested softly.

"I would love to, but if I did, the pile would only get bigger," she grumbled. Shizune nodded and began to leave. "Shizune. Thank you for the massage," Tsunade said with a smile and got a smile in return.

"I see that things are normal around here," a voice said from somewhere to Tsunade's right. The Hokage turned her attention to the intruder and had the shock of her life. Kurama stood there with his arms crossed and a smirk upon his face. He looked just as he did three years ago, except that his hair was a little longer. Beside him was a young man with blond hair and intense blue eyes. His mouth was covered by a black mask, and he wore black cargo pants, a black net shirt, and a black jacket that was left open at the front. Naruto had his headband around his waist as a belt to keep his pants up, and Kurama had his tied around his left bicep.

"Nice to see you again, obaa-chan," Naruto said with amusement in his eyes, and Tsunade could swear he was smirking.

"Brat," Tsunade said with affection, grinning at the two. "I thought you were going to be gone for five years, not three?" she asked with curiosity in her voice.

"We were. However, some things have come up, and Naruto is a very quick learner. He is not done training, but he will be shortly if I have the time to finish with him. What brought us back to Konoha is this: the Akatsuki. From spying on them during Naruto's training, I can say that they will begin their operations within a month or two. I don't know what the operation is, but I know it has to do with the demon vessels. Do you know anything I don't, Hokage-sama?" Kurama asked politely.

Tsunade's expression was serious. "They want the demons. However, we don't know what for."

Kurama nodded his head. "What is the status of our previous teams?" he asked.

"Team Gai have stayed together, even with you gone. I have been training Sakura, so that's left Kakashi doing missions."

Naruto frowned. "What happened to Sasuke?"

A dark expression crossed Tsunade's face. "Uchiha Sasuke is a missing-nin. He betrayed the leaf three years ago and ran to Orochimaru. A team consisting of Hyuuga Neji, Nara Shikamaru, Akamichi Chouji, Inuzuka Kiba, Rock Lee, and Aburame Shino were sent after him. If the team from Sand, consisting of Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro, hadn't shown up when they did, then we could have lost half of them, for two were in critical condition and two others had nasty injuries. The sound four were killed, but Sasuke still managed to escape."

Naruto had a dark and closed off expression, while Kurama had one of mild surprise. "So he was power hungry for some reason and decided to get it the easy way? Somehow that doesn't surprise me. Genius-types rarely work hard for what they have, so they aren't used to putting effort into things when push comes to shove," he said flippantly.

Tsunade looked surprised. "What type are you?" she asked.

Kurama smiled. "I'm a genius-type. However, with all my years of experience on the battlefield and in life, I find training hard for things a nice change. Naruto is a hard-working-type, yet is still a genius in his own way. If you give him something really hard to learn and give him time, he'll figure it out quickly. Take the Rasengan for example. He figured out the first two steps quickly and only needed my help to get his chakra control better to make it perfect. It took him a week. I learned it within three days, but that's not saying much for someone who's been working with youki for a couple thousand years."

Tsunade blinked. "What's youki?"

"Where I come from there are two types of energies. Reiki and youki. Reiki is spirit energy. Youki is demonic energy. Chakra is a combination of spirit energy and physical energy. Demons don't have reiki and humans don't have youki. Unless of course it is a hanyou. However, a hanyou comes from a human and demon parent having a child. So while Naruto and I control both chakra and youki, we're not hanyou. I am the spirit of a demon inside a human body with no human soul in it, and Naruto is the host of Kyuubi's soul and chakra," Kurama explained to a surprised Tsunade.

"So I am technically talking to a demon right now?" Tsunade asked.

"Not exactly. I grew up in this body as a human child will, so you could say my personality is kind of split for the most part. When I change this body to my true demon form or humanoid form, my demonic tendencies and personality come to the surface more noticeably. Demons aren't just rampaging beasts, however. Take Kyuubi for example, Orochimaru summoned him and tried to control him and look at what happened. Kyuubi went berserk and attacked Konoha. I've spoken to Kyuubi now that he is sealed, and he is angry with Orochimaru because it's all that snake's fault that he's trapped within a human. Once I talked with him and got Naruto and him in a mutual agreement, he was quite an interesting person," Kurama said with a slight smile.

Tsunade nodded her head and said gravely, "That still wouldn't change the minds of the fools in the village and council, however. They still want Naruto banished or dead. It has been quite the experience these last few years to get them to keep their mouths shut." A lot of anger and irritation had sneaked into her voice during the last bit.

Kurama sighed. "Imagine what they would say if they knew I was a demon without a human vessel to control me," he said with a smirk.

Tsunade smirked right back. "It'd scare the shit out of them, that's for sure."

During the conversation, Naruto had carefully kept his expression blank. He knew the villagers hated him and always would. Not that he cared. After all, he had his precious people and that's all that mattered. However, it seemed his list had become one name short with the betrayal of Sasuke.

"So, Tsunade, what are our orders? Do you want us to go back to our previous teams?"

Tsunade shook her head. "First of all, I'm not sure if you knew this before you left, Kurama, but you are already a chuunin. With your killing Kabuto, however, I'm in serious doubt that that reflects your skills adequately. So, I will be making you a jounin. As for Naruto, I'm afraid that you'll have to wait till the next chuunin exam, though I'm sure you'll pass with flying colours," Tsunade said with a smile. Naruto nodded with gratitude in his eyes, and Tsunade assumed he was smiling.

"Who will Naruto be doing missions with?" Kurama asked.

Tsunade looked thoughtful. "Well, I don't suppose Naruto can decide if he wants to go back with Kakashi and Sakura as a team or join up with someone else. Ne, brat?" she asked with a grin.

Naruto returned the grin (not that she could see it) and thought about his options. He could always join up with one of the other gennin teams. He didn't really want to go with Kakashi again. After all, the jounin hadn't really taught him anything in the past except for tree climbing. If he went with Kurama, though, then they could finish their training and do missions together… "I would like to go with Kurama."

If Tsunade was surprised that he didn't go with Kakashi, she didn't show it. "Very well. Kurama, is there any one in particular you want on your gennin team besides Naruto?"

Kurama blinked. "Well, I'm not sure who would need my tutelage in particular. I would like to take on Neji. From what I've seen, Gai hasn't really taught him anything because Neji is so focused on his family's jutsu. I would like to remedy that because I'm the only one he listens to. As for Lee, I think it would be good if Gai could give him personal attention. He certainly deserves it at this point. As for any other gennin, I'm not sure if their teachers would be willing to give them up or break them up. It might be good for them to have new teammates, though."

Tsunade nodded. "If I were to give you Neji, who do you think would be good for the third?"

Kurama thought for a moment. It suddenly hit him. "Hinata."

Tsunade's eyes widened in shock. "Why Hinata?"

Kurama smiled brightly. "Well, for one, Hinata has no confidence whatsoever. Being with Naruto will remedy that. For another, Neji used to hate Hinata and although that has toned down a bit, he still doesn't like her. Hinata's weak at the family jutsu, and I will have Neji work with her while he trains."

Tsunade frowned slightly. "Two Byakugan on one team?"

A shrug. "It's necessary."

"Okay," Tsunade said with a shrug of her own. "If you think it will help her, then I have no objections. I will inform the jounin and gennin involved of the changes. I'll inform you of the meeting place of your new team later," Tsunade said in a clear dismissal.

"There is one more thing I'd like to talk to you about," Kurama said with a slight question in his voice. At Tsunade's nod to continue, he did so, "Considering the amount of trouble Naruto gets into regularly, I would like to have a medic-nin on the team incase someone sustains an injury that can't be healed by normal means. Hinata would be the best choice, but I can't have her being the weak link on the team because she wouldn't focus as much on the team training. Therefore, I would like to request that you train me to become a medic-nin. Since I am a quick learner and you are so busy, it would be better if I could pass it on to Hinata when she is ready. Do you disagree?"

Tsunade looked thoughtful for a moment. "My training with Sakura has ended, so I don't see why I can't train you. It would be advantageous for someone as powerful as you to be able to heal people as well. The lessons will begin tomorrow in the evenings from 6 to 9. That is the time that both of us are the least busy, I presume?" Tsunade asked.

Kurama nodded and offered a smile. "Thank you, Hokage-sama."

"Just call me Tsunade, Kurama. You make me feel old," Tsunade said with a slight quirk of her mouth in a half-smile.

"Is the anything else?" Kurama asked. At Tsunade's negative, he gave her a slight bow before he and Naruto disappeared. Tsunade blinked at them, as they hadn't poofed out like normal. They just… disappeared. Shrugging to herself, she took out a scroll that had teams on it and made the changes she would initiate later that day. After doing so, she looked it over.

**Maito Gai:**

Rock Lee

**Minamino Kurama:**

Hyuuga Neji

Hyuuga Hinata

Uzumaki Naruto

**Sarutobi Asuma:**

Akimichi Chouji

Yamanaka Ino

**Yuuhi Kurenai:**

Inuzuka Kiba

Aburame Shino

Haruno Sakura

**Hatake Kakashi:**

Tsunade sighed. With Shikamaru gone from Asuma's team, it wasn't much of a team before. Shuffling a few papers, she thought for a moment. When Shikamaru was with them, however, they were too lazy to do anything… maybe it would be good if they went with Gai. He would get them to work hard, in the very least… However, Lee was on a completely different level than the other gennin, and it wouldn't be fair. So, she decided to put a new graduate on the team and leave things as they were. Calling for a messenger, she asked the man to call Gai, Kakashi, Kurenai, and Asuma to her office.

_oOo_

Kurama flipped backwards to dodge a series of kicks and punches. One landed on an unfortunate tree, cracking it in half. "You're definitely improving, Naruto," he said with a smile as he did a series of complicated movements to slip through a barrage of kunai.

Naruto smirked although it was hidden by his mask. "Glad you think so, Kurama," he said calmly as he barely missed Kurama's cheek with his claws. The chakra there, however, didn't miss.

A bead of blood slipped down from the minor cut and pooled at the corner of his mouth. Kurama licked it away and brought out his own claws. The sparring match proceded with a series of slashes and jabs, and the two of them caused eachother slight wounds. Using his (still) superior speed, Kurama slipped behind Naruto and held him in a lock with his claws to the younger boy's throat.

"I yield," Naruto said, wary of the sharp nails even though he knew Kurama would never actually threaten his life.

Kurama let him go. "Do you want to go to Ichiraku before I go visit Neji?" he asked with a raised brow.

Naruto grinned beneath his mask. "Yes!" he said, a lot quieter than he would have three years ago.

_oOo_

"What! Kurama's a jounin?" a shocked Kurenai exclaimed.

Asuma stood to the side with a cigarette in his mouth looking like he could care less.

Tears streamed down Gai's face in happiness. "THE POWER OF YOUTH! KURAMA IS ALL GROWN UP! What do you say to THAT, rival!" Gai shouted enthusiastically at Kakashi.

Kakashi looked up from his book. "What were you saying?"

Gai's (monstrous) eyebrow twitched in annoyance. "HOW DARE YOU IGNORE ME, RIVAL!"

Tsunade stared at the very strange scene before her and shook her head. She would never get used to Gai's weirdness… She silenced the noise with a hand slammed down on her desk. All eyes turned to her (two of them from watching Gai). "Inform your students of the change immediately tomorrow. Kurenai, please stop by Haruno Sakura's house to tell her of the change and your team's meeting spot. Also tell Hyuuga Hinata of her changed teams and that Kurama will be by later to tell her of the meeting spot and time. Gai, tell Lee of his private training with you, and tell Hyuuga Neji the same as Kurenai is telling Hyuuga Hinata. Asuma, your team will have to wait a while until a new team member is chosen. Kakashi, you will begin doing jounin level missions tomorrow. Any questions?" she asked. Receiving silence, she dismissed them all and sent a messenger to fetch Kurama.

_oOo_

They were just finishing their supper when Kurama was called away. Naruto's only response was to shrug as he paid for their meal and make his way to his old apartment, wondering if it was still his. To his hidden surprise, no one seemed to recognize him. This, for some strange reason, only made him more uncomfortable. He felt like any moment someone was going to start pelting rocks at him.

Arriving at his apartment rather quickly, Naruto used his old, slightly rusted key to open the door. To his surprise, he came face to face with Iruka, who seemed to be leaving after having... cleaned his house?

"Naruto! You're back!" Iruka exclaimed in surprise with a smile on his face.

"Iruka-sensei…" Naruto said, trailing off as he looked around his spiffed up apartment.

"Ah… I hope you don't mind, but I've been taking care of it these past three years for when you come home… Can't have you living in a dump, now can…we?" Iruka trailed off when Naruto grasped him in a firm hug. "Naruto?" he questioned, returning the hug with a small smile.

"Arigatou… Iruka-sensei," Naruto said softly, his eyes watering slightly. It was small, thoughtful things like this that reminded him how much he cared for his precious people.

Iruka's smile grew. "You're welcome. Want to go for Ichiraku? My treat?"

Naruto pulled back and nodded, his eyes closed slightly in content and happiness. Just then, Iruka noticed all the changes Naruto had undergone. His hair was longer, and framed his face. He wore all black and a face mask, and his headband was used as a belt to hold up his cargo pants. His black jacket had a few pockets and was open at the front to reveal some of his chest covered with netting. He also seemed more… reserved… and calm, like he was perfectly comfortable with the way things were going.

After leading Naruto out the door, Iruka locked the door behind him with a spare key. Together they made their way to Ichiraku, Naruto not wanting to mention the fact that he'd already eaten. As they walked, they talked about how things had gone the past three years, what they'd been doing, and anything else that came to mind. Iruka was rather surprised that Naruto only had a few bowls through the course of the evening, but didn't mention it because he enjoyed just talking with Naruto. Once it got rather late, the two said their goodbyes with promises to get back together again soon. Naruto headed home with a content smile on his hidden face.

_oOo_

"You wanted me, Tsunade-sama?" Kurama asked as he phased into existence in the Hokage's office.

Tsunade his her surprise at his sudden appearance and nodded. "I would like you to go to the Hyuuga manor and inform Hyuuga Neji and Hyuuga Hinata of the change in teams as well as the place you're going to meet in the morning and the time. Since Kakashi no longer has a team – and Naruto was originally from Team 7 – your new team will be called Team 7. Your training grounds are also number 7. Any questions?"

"When is the next chuunin exam?"

"That has yet to be decided. Because of incident at the one where you were promoted, there have been only two since. Only a few long time gennin passed, and none of the ones you are familiar with. The next one may be within a few months or half a year," Tsunade said gravely.

Kurama nodded in acknowledgement and promptly disappeared.

Tsunade shook her head and went back to her paperwork.

_oOo_

"Hinata-sama?" a soft, yet firm voice spoke through the door of the heir to the Hyuuga clan's rooms.

"Y-yes?" Hinata replied softly.

"There is someone who requests to speak to you and Neji-sama waiting with your father in the meetings room," the servant said.

"T-thank you," Hinata said just as softly as before. Looking back at the scroll in front of her, she sighed. It was a scroll on medical jutsu, but she had only learned a few of the easy techniques on it so far. Rolling it and hiding it among her other general scrolls, she left the room after making sure she was presentable.

When she arrived in the room the servant mentioned, she was quite surprised. Neji was already there, as was her father and… Kurama? In a JOUNIN vest! Quite confused, she sat down at the table away from both her father (who was at the head of the table), Neji (who was opposite her), and Kurama (who sat opposite her father).

"Hinata, Neji, it has come to my attention that both of you are switching sensei," Hiashi said calmly, looking at each in turn. "Kurama, please explain."

Kurama nodded calmly. "Naruto and I left three years ago to train outside of Konoha. We have returned early for reasons I am unable to verify. Because of certain events before our leaving, Tsunade-sama thought it necessary that I be named jounin, as that is my skill level. She gave Naruto the choice of who he wanted to continue training with, and he chose me. Because I have already trained him privately for three years, I wished to take on students the same age as him to have my own gennin team. Tsunade-sama granted me the choice, and I picked Hyuuga Neji and Hyuuga Hinata as my two other students," he explained slowly and calmly, no emotion betraying his expression.

Neji's expression remained emotionless except for a tiny bit of surprise hidden in his eyes. Hinata did her best to hide her confusion and surprise, but she knew she didn't do a good job.

"May I ask why you chose two Hyuuga as your students?" Hiashi asked emotionlessly.

Kurama remained silent for a moment. "Neji shows promise as a genius, yet he could go so much farther if he tried different forms of training. I have a unique training regimen that may increase the effectiveness of his use of the Hyuuga Taijutsu. Not meaning to be rude or disrespectful, but I have also noticed that the Hyuuga rarely broaden their skills beyond Hyuuga techniques. This is a severe disadvantage in the battle field. If someone had a technique or defense that made the Hyuuga techniques useless, then that Hyuuga may be utterly defensless."

"The Hyuuga have no weaknesses," Hiashi cut in, obviously not pleased.

Kurama resisted the urge to let his eyebrow tick in annoyance. "I have developed a technique that renders the Byakugan and all the Hyuuga styles useless." Hiashi's eyes widened slightly. However, before he could say anything, Kurama continued. "I'm not saying this to make myself feel superior to you. The Hyuuga styles can have huge effectiveness in battle. However, if my students were to meet someone in battle who has a technique similar to mine, then I would have to narrow my focus to protecting them and leave Naruto to do the rest of the fighting. I will not allow that to happen," Kurama said firmly.

Hiashi looked thoughtful for a moment before asking, "And Hinata? Why did you choose her?"

Kurama prepared himself. "Hinata-san has no confidence. She is shy and timid. Obviously you have not tried to remedy this yet, and so I will do so for you. I'm not saying this to verbally attack you, Hyuuga-san," Kurama said at the indignation on Hiashi's face. "It is the truth and I want Hinata to be successful in her career as a ninja."

Hiashi didn't say anything for a minute before he finally nodded his head. "Very well. I have no qualms with Neji and Hinata being your students. Thank you for telling us personally," he said with a small bow.

Kurama gave a polite bow as well and waited until Hiashi had stood before he did as well. "You are welcome, Hyuuga-san," Kurama said to Hiashi before he left the room. Turning to the two gennin, Kurama smiled. "Neji, Hinata-san, the please meet at training ground 7 at 6:30 tomorrow morning."

"Kurama, before you leave…"

Kurama turned his attention to Neji, who looked annoyed. "Yes?"

"You and I have some things to talk about," he said with a firm expression.

"Eheh…" Kurama said with a sweatdrop. "Of course… Where would you like to talk?"

Hinata watched the exchange with a little confusion as Neji walked up to Kurama and said something too softly for her to hear. Kurama nodded, and the two of them left the Hyuuga manor together.

Once Kurama and Neji had reached the small lake they had visited during the festival a few years ago, Neji slammed Kurama against a tree and kissed him brutally. After pulling away from a flushed Kurama, he asked angrily, "Why didn't you tell me before you left for three years! I found out from Gai! How could you do that to me!"

**Kurama in Narutoland**

_oOo_

Chapter Fifty:

_oOo_

Once Kurama and Neji had reached the small lake they had visited during the festival a few years ago, Neji slammed Kurama against a tree and kissed him brutally. After pulling away from a flushed Kurama, he asked angrily, "Why didn't you tell me before you left for three years! I found out from Gai! How could you do that to me!"

Kurama stared at Neji with a stupid look on his face before he smiled nervously. "I'm sorry, Neji. I didn't have time to tell you. Naruto and I had to leave Konoha immediately."

Neji glared at Kurama for a moment before kissing him gently. The youko melted against the tree and wrapped his arms around Neji's waist. Their tongues battled for dominance before Kurama allowed Neji full control as a silent apology. When they finally separated, Kurama had an adorable little blush on his face that made Neji smirk. "I'll see you tomorrow," he said before walking off, leaving an irritated Kurama behind.

'Little bastard. If he gets me all hot and bothered, the least he can do is help me take care of my problem,' Kurama thought, pouting to himself. With a small smile, he vanished from the spot and made his way to Naruto's apartment with incredible speed.

_oOo_

Naruto smiled as he looked around his clean apartment. Iruka had really outdone himself. It was absolutely spotless, and all of his old outfits were dust-free and in his closet. Shaking his head, he proceeded to pull out a garbage bag and pack them all into it. He really needed to go shopping.

"Hi Kurama. How nice of you to drop in," Naruto said with a smirk on his face as he sensed the slight displacement of air in the room.

"You're senses are good as ever, Naru-chan," Kurama said with an affectionate smile as he rumpled Naruto's hair. Naruto gave a half-hearted glare over his shoulder as he tied up the bag and threw it by the door.

"I need to go shopping, Kura. Those outfits are ugly and too small for me," Naruto said as he walked into the kitchen to check if there was anything left - and if there was, he was going to throw it away. To his surprise, Iruka had even seen fit to clean the cupboards as well as the fridge. The kitchen was bare.

Kurama looked thoughtful for a moment. "Actually, I think it's about time that you moved out of here. I doubt that I'll be living with Kakashi anymore, so why don't we go and buy a house together? I might even be able to convince Neji to move in with us eventually… perhaps even Hinata," Kurama said the last part slyly.

Naruto blinked innocently. "Why Hinata?"

Kurama grinned. He had totally set himself up that time. "Why, because she's cute of course. And she has that crush on you? Or did you forget that?" he said with a smirk.

Naruto blushed and shook his head, attempting to glare at Kurama and failing miserably. "I can't believe I never noticed and had to have you tell me during 'the talk'," Naruto muttered, shuddering at the memory.

Kurama grinned. He had made that night by the fire a living hell for the blonde. He'd enjoyed it too. "I can't believe you didn't either. But then again, you're Naruto, so what's one to expect?" Kurama dodged the punch thrown in his direction with a foxy smirk.

Naruto glared at Kurama for a moment before getting a thoughtful look on his face. "I suppose us living together would be a good idea. Then you could live with your boyfriend, too," Naruto gave a suggestive grin, "just don't keep me awake at night.

Blushing, Kurama hit Naruto gently up the side of the head. "Only you would make such a vulgar comment."

Naruto got a playfully offended look on his face. "I only made it because I've been living with you for the past three years. I can't help it if you're rubbing off on me."

"Are you insinuating that I'm a vulgar person?"

"No, just that you have vulgar… tendencies."

"As you're jounin instructor, I CAN, and WILL make you're life a living hell. You realize this, right?"

"Oops," was the cheeky reply. They loved their sarcastic banter. Two witty minds came up with the most interesting of conversations. And the best part about it, was that when someone was watching it happen, they got this utterly confused or stupefied expression on their face. It was quite amusing.

Kurama looked thoughtful for a moment. "Do you want a house or a bigger apartment?" he asked Naruto.

The Kyuubi vessel grinned. "A house. That way I can play music as loud as I want to without pissing off people below me or above me."

"What about those beside you?"

"They're all losers anyway."

"Aren't all the villagers losers?"

"Yeah..."

"Then why do you give a rat's ass what they think?"

Naruto looked thoughtful for a moment. Then he sighed and gave up. "Okay, you win that round."

Kurama just smirked. "That's 456 to 454. You're falling behind, Naruto."

The blonde just glared. "Get lookin' for a house, prat."

Kurama grinned and left the apartment to search out the real-estate company.

_oOo_

It only took Kurama a few hours to find the perfect house and "convince" the one selling it to sell it for less than it was worth. Naruto chipped in half and voila, house. The reason they had so much money was from all the missions they did for other countries during the three years they were out of Konoha.

It was a cozy little place on the edge of town, near the forest. Conveniently, the training areas were a short walk away. It was two stories, had four bed rooms, a kitchen, a dining room, and a TV room (not that they had a TV-yet). It came with most furniture, though they had to buy a table for the dining room and one extra bed (if the fourth room was going to be used). Kurama had plans to turn it into a little library of scrolls and such although Naruto didn't know about it. They settled in nicely, and Kurama went to the grocery store to buy some 'proper food' instead of ramen.

Kurama sighed as he put the bag of groceries on the table. So much to do in so little time… it was tiring. Putting the groceries away, he pondered ways to invite Neji to come and live with them. How the hell would he convince Hinata to come here? She was so timid and shy… He really had to work on that. The only problem was what would make her more confident? Throwing some supper together as he pondered possibilities, Kurama made plans for his new genin team. It would be fun for him – a devilish smirk – and hell for them.

_oOo_

"GAH!" Naruto yelled after Kurama dumped a bucket of water on him. "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR!" he asked angrily and threw his water-logged pillow at the invading kitsune.

Kurama merely smiled that annoying patient smile of his. "To wake you up, of course," he said before dodging the pillow and slipping out of the room.

Naruto growled to himself as he fell out of bed and stared at the mess that was his room. "Damnit. Now I gotta dry it out. Getting an idea, he focused his chakra and heated up the air around and within his bed, making the water evaporate. Once there was nothing but mist and his bed was dry, Naruto condensed the mist inside the bucket and released his control over it. Breathing heavily and having a killer headache, Naruto smiled goofily at his good work. "Kurama always says to practice you're chakra control whenever you can," he mused to himself before pulling off his wet pajamas and throwing them in the hamper before getting dressed for the new day. Sniffing his shirt and making a face, he mumbled to himself, "Definitely gotta go shopping…"

The smell of breakfast wafted through the air, and Naruto gravitated towards the kitchen. Licking his lips at the sight of bacon, eggs, toast, and hash browns, Naruto plopped into his seat with a grin and waited impatiently for Kurama to finish placing the last of the toast on the table. Once the redhead had taken his seat, Naruto dug in with fervor.

"It's not healthy to inhale you're food," Kurama commented facetiously as Naruto choked on a bit of bacon.

Naruto made no response to the playfully jocular remark and continued to eat after clearing his windpipe.

Kurama shook his head and looked at the time. They had twenty minutes to get to training grounds seven. Finishing the last of his breakfast, Kurama began collecting the plates. Naruto finished three fourths of the prepared breakfast a few moments after and helped. Kurama cleaned the dishes while Naruto dried them and put them away. "Naruto, is there anything that you need from the store?" Kurama asked as he finished up the dishes and pulled the plug.

"I need a new wardrobe as well as some shuriken and kunai. Can I get some new jutsu scrolls too? I've mastered the ones I have," Naruto replied instantly.

Kurama looked thoughtful. "I agree on the wardrobe and weapons, we both need replacements. As for jutsu scrolls, you and I both need to learn some genjutsu. Yours is strangely weak considering you have a kitsune in your head. You and I will also be working on that rare taijutsu we picked up in cloud country. I've had no more than a glance at the scrolls we stole since we acquired them."

Naruto nodded his head in agreement. "What taijutsu form are you going to teach to Hinata-chan and Neji-san?" he asked curiously, wondering what the youko had in store for the team.

Kurama smiled. "I'm going to teach each of you something different. I've learned a few styles during my time here and when I was in the makai. I'm going to teach Hinata and Neji two styles that are so opposite that the two can work as the perfect tag team," Kurama said with a grin.

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Then where would my techniques fit in?" he asked.

Kurama smiled. "That's the beauty of it. They don't. You are to be the wild card. Completely unpredictable and the best at utilizing power, speed, stealth, and accuracy in different combinations. That's why I've been teaching you such a large variety of taijutsus that each demand different skills. Switching between your different styles would confuse the hell out of your opponent, as they wouldn't know what to expect next from you.

Naruto got a thoughtful expression. "And where would you fit in?" he asked curiously.

Kurama smiled. "I will be many things. I will follow in the shadows. I will team up with you to create a duo of disaster," Kurama smirked, "and I will keep an eye on all of you."

Nodding, Naruto put the last of the dishes away and went to the door to put his boots on. They were getting a little worn he noticed as he tied up the laces and did a secure knot at the top so they wouldn't loosen or come undone.

_oOo_

Neji and Hinata waited for their teammate and jounin sensei to arrive. Hinata, in particular, was rather anxious. What if she wassn't good enough for the team? Both Neji and Naruto were far superior to her. Neji, on the other hand, was anxious to get started. He couldn't wait to learn something different, especially from his boyfriend.

"Good morning Neji, Hinata-chan," Kurama called with a pleasant smile as he and Naruto arrived.

"Good morning Kurama-sensei, Naruto-kun," Hinata said timidly and put her index fingers together. Kurama filed away the action for future reference.

Neji merely inclined his head and mumbled a 'good morning'.

"Morning Neji-san, Hinata-chan," Naruto said with a pleasant smile hidden beneath his mask.

After the greetings were exchanged, Kurama motioned the group over to a tree and jumped into the branches. The team followed suit. Naruto reclined in a relaxed but alert fashion on one of the broader branches while Kurama leaned against the trunk. Neji was the highest in the tree, right above Kurama, and Hinata was on the other side of the trunk to Naruto.

"The plan for today is to bring you up to speed on my plans and get Hinata-chan and Neji a set of weights. First of all, chakra control and speed training are going to be very important to the team. Everyone will be close in speed so that we can operate well as a group with no one lagging behind. You won't be allowed to use chakra during the weight training. Hinata-chan and Neji, you two are going to be a tag team. You two will be learning opposite taijutsu styles that compliment eachother well and make you damn near unbeatable. Naruto will be training in a variety of styles and will be the wild card of the group. He'll be there to shake up enemies and start some chaos. I will watch your backs and occasionally team up with Naruto. However, the team is not to be split in half. There must be a "method to our madness", as some call it, but the key is for the enemy to not see how we work in co-ordination. On your own time I want you to work on your weaknesses. Hinata, you and I will be working on your confidence and I'm going to be teaching you to be a medic-nin after Tsunade-sama teaches me. Neji, I want you to keep working on your gentle fist taijutsu style. Hinata won't be delving as deeply into the techniques as you will, and I want you to do this on your own time. Naruto, you will be working on genjutsu and your chakra control as well as any other jutsu you want to. Over all, I want Hinata to be our medic-nin and have the physical strength of Tsunade-sama. Neji, I want you to be accurate and deal fatal blows as well as our Byakugan expert. Naruto will be the jutsu expert, assassin, and intelligence gatherer of the group. Any questions?" Kurama asked.

"How much time are you going to spend with us separately?" Neji asked.

Kurama looked thoughtful. "Hinata will get the most attention for a while till I bring her up to speed. Naruto I am teaching so that he may become well rounded enough for the job of Hokage as well as to protect himself from Akatsuki. Neji is pretty good at working on his own. If you need or want some special training, however, just let me know, "Kurama said, looking at Neji.

The Hyuuga nodded his head thoughtfully before voicing another question. "What is this Akatsuki that you mentioned?"

Kurama turned to look at Naruto, whose gaze was intense and posture stiff. "It is not my place to tell you _why_, but a group is out there that wants to get their hands on Naruto. Once you get to know each other better, perhaps he will tell you more. I don't want you bothering him about it though."

Hinata and Neji nodded their consent and watched Naruto curiously. His eyes gave nothing away and they couldn't see the rest of his face.

Kurama smirked suddenly. "Now that you know the plan we're going to go get you some weights."

_oOo_

Kurama sighed in relief that most of the day was over. The entire morning had been hectic. He had got their weights ordered and started them separately on the new styles they were going to learn while the others did chakra control or laps. Hinata was proving to be difficult to help, but Kurama was determined to turn her into a mean kunoichi yet. He smiled in amusement at the thought as he headed to Tsunade's office. She was going to begin his medic-nin training that evening. He was looking forward to learning something new and having a challenge. Naruto had been sent to the store to shop for a wardrobe for himself and weapons and supplies for both of them. Kurama would buy his own clothes another time.

"Good evening, Tsunade-sama," Kurama said as he entered her office.

Tsunade smirked. "I hope you're ready for hell, Kurama," she said and began the first lesson.

_oOo_

Things continued as planned for a month. Hinata slowly became a more confidant individual as Kurama trained her personally in the ways of the ninja and the medic-nin. The Neji-Hinata tag team flourished as the two got over their differences and used their Byakugans to work in the most perfect synchronization Kurama had ever seen. As a group, they managed to get to know how the other thought amazingly quickly and became the craziest genin team in Konoha in both skill and teamwork.

However, the chaos hit a bump in the road all too soon for Kurama's liking.

A small yip sounded from behind the redheaded sensei and he turned around. A smile touched his lips. "Shinrin. I've been waiting for you to come back. What is the news on Akatsuki?" He caught the small silver fox as it jumped at him and listened to its soft yips and growls. Kurama's eyebrows rose in surprise. "They're going after Gaara?"

_-Toki Mirage-_

**I'm Back! **And I might not update often (cuz school is BUSY O.o'), but this story's off the back burner once again!

**Kurama in Narutoland**

_oOo_

Chapter Fifty-one:

_oOo_

A small yip sounded from behind the redheaded sensei and he turned around. A smile touched his lips. "Shinrin. I've been waiting for you to come back. What is the news on Akatsuki?" He caught the small silver fox as it jumped at him and listened to its soft yips and growls. Kurama's eyebrows rose in surprise. "They're going after Gaara?"

After a small nod of its head, he placed it on his shoulder and disappeared from the house.

_oOo_

Tsunade glared at the evil paperwork. Why couldn't someone come and interrupt her already?

"Tsunade-sama…"

Tsunade fell off her chair in surprise.

A small smirk. "How graceful of you. Tsunade-sama, we have a problem. The Akatsuki are moving against Gaara. If Naruto and I move quickly, we may be able to save him," Kurama said to the Godaime as she straightened in her chair. Her eyes had widened considerably. "There are very few jounin or ANBU teams inside Konoha right now. The sand is our ally, and we must send someone to help them."

Tsunade's expression was one of utter seriousness. "I want you to take your team as well as Team Gai and Kakashi. Leave immediately for the sand to help Gaara."

Kurama bowed and vanished from the office.

_oOo_

Naruto yawned as he climbed out of the shower and scratched his head. Turning bleary eyes to the mirror, he was surprised when the door opened abruptly and Kurama stood before him. "Get ready for an A class mission. We're leaving as soon as the team's together," he said quickly before disappearing to pull the rest of the team together. Naruto sleepy look disappeared immediately and he smirked. It was time to have some FUN for once.

_oOo_

Once Kurama had pulled the group together, he briefed them on the mission. "Recent intel has informed us that the Akatsuki are moving against the first demon hosts. We're going to Suna to assist Gaara and to prevent his kidnapping. Any questions?" Kurama asked.

Gai and Kakashi exchanged glances. The genin were absolutely confused as to what was going on. Tenten was the first to voice any questions. "First of all, what are demon hosts?"

Kurama blinked. "You mean… none of the genin even know what I'm talking about?" he asked and turned to Kakashi and Gai in confusion. The two jounin just gave him a rather stupid look and shrugged. Rolling his eyes, Kurama turned back to Tenten, Lee, Neji, and Sakura and began to explain. "Demon hosts are people who had demons sealed inside them at a very young age so the chakra system could adapt properly. Normally this information is confidential, but because of certain circumstances and the current situation in Konoha I have to disclose it to you. You are to swear absolute secrecy." He watched them for a response and smiled when they all nodded seriously. "Good. Gaara is one such demon host. He holds the one tailed tanuki demon, Shukaku. We think that there are nine demon hosts total, and we don't know much about many of the others. As to the Akatsuki, they are an organization bent on stealing the demons from their hosts, therefore killing the host, and keeping the power for themselves. Now, any questions?"

The four genin shook their heads. Kakashi was the first to speak, "How do you know all of this, Kurama? It is all very confidential information," he questioned with his normal lazy look.

Kurama smiled. "I'm afraid that that information is beyond your clearance, Kakashi."

Kakashi's eye widened slightly at the hint of bigger things going on behind the scenes and was about to ask another question when Naruto interrupted. "Kurama, can we go already? The Akatsuki aren't gonna wait for us to get our asses over there," Naruto pouted and crossed his arms.

Kurama smirked slightly. "Oh but of course. Lead the way, Naru-chan," he said cheekily. Naruto only stuck his tongue out at him before shooting off into the forest. Lee was quick to follow at the same speed, as were the two jounin. Even with all of the training she had received from Tsunade, Sakura was just barely keeping up. The other two genin of Gai's team were struggling too. Kurama saw this immediately and slowed down to talk with them while Naruto led the group.

"Meaning nothing personal, this is for the benefit of the mission, you three are much too slow and I would like you to ride on Shinrin. I don't want you completely tired out for when we get to Suna." Not waiting for a response, he held out his arm and Shinrin ran across it and into the air. With a weird displacement of air and light he was many sizes larger and just big enough to hold three people. Neji was the first to jump on, and that broke the ice for the other two. Seeing that the three of them were settled, Kurama whistled sharply and he and Shinrin leapt forward to catch up with the rest of the group.

oOo

The trip was uneventful for the most part. No surprise attacks, no random accidents, and nothing that was suspicouslyout of the ordinary and called for serious consideration. They made good time to Suna but were in for a surprise when they arrived at the front gate and saw blood splattered everywhere. The mess was extensive and what had been rivers of blood were slowing to a dribble.

Eyes narrowed, the jounin surveyed the damage. Since Kurama was in charge of the mission and technically had a higher ranking than them, Kakashi and Gai turned their attention to him as if to ask, 'what now?' Closing his eyes for a moment in preparation to think over a plan, Kurama was surprised when his clearing of his mind revealed that a slight genjutsu had been placed over a small area to their left. Searching with his demonic senses, he detected a presence ten meters to his left. Opening his eyes slowly so he didn't give away that he knew something was up, Kurama turned to the other two jounin and started firing of a bunch of seemingly random signals. To those who hadn't been part of the ANBU or darker shinobi circles of Konoha it would merely look like Kurama was thinking pretty hard and had an itch on his elbow. Kakashi caught on quickly to Kurama's message of enemy alien 10 meters to the left and the order for he and Gai to guard the students while Kurama revealed the unknown person or creature.

Naruto, whom Kurama had taught everything he knew (and consequentially all Tsunade had taught him), followed the 'conversation' with ease and watched Kurama carefully to deduce what the redhead would do next. His blue eyes watched intensely as Kurama dashed in the indicated direction at a much slower speed than he was capable of. Said eyes widened immensely when the questionable area suddenly flashed with chakra before the genjutsu was torn down to reveal an ugly, large man hunching over the ground.

Kurama attacked him without pause and was shocked to see various poisoned needles shoot out at him. Growing a leaf shield from a bit of plant wrapped purposefully arouond his finger like a ring, Kurama deflected the sharp needles with the rock-hard surface. Growing a sword from the other ring, this time on his right hand, Kurama sped up to his full capabilities once he was in close and cut the creature (for it wasn't really human-looking) into tiny little bits. To his (and everyone else's) surprise, what seemed to be a mutilated shell fell apart to reveal a weakened boy on the inside with various lacerations littering his skin. Rather, his... container. The cuts didn't bleed.

Rather unnerved at the obvious damage and lack of blood, Kurama cautiously ordered Naruto to help him before attacking the 'person' from behind with his sword. To his utter shock, something flew out from the body of the 'boy' and impaled Kurama. Luckily for the redhead, he had good enough reflexes to make sure that it didn't pierce anything that couldn't be fixed. Jumping back from the scene, Kurama watched with sharp green eyes tinted with gold as Naruto punched the guy out of the blue and sent him coliding into the wall of Suna. The force of the attack caused the 'boy's body to crack a gigantic spider web littered with small craters into the wall of sand. Naruto, completely stoic and indifferent summoned a blade of chakra into his hand like Kurama had taught him and ran the dazed boy through the 'heart' with it. To his surprise, the scroll-like _thing_ didn't bleed either. His blue chakra tinged with red raced through his chakra blade and burned up the scroll with its fierce power. What remained, which was just a puppet, fell to the ground with a hollow thump that quickly dissipated into the dry air of the desert.

The two jounin and five genin watched the scene with shock painted on their faces. They had just witnessed two _boys,_ one who even used to be a _dunce_ totally tear apart what seemed to be a very, very powerful ninja in less than a minute.

Naruto, still not paying attention to his fellow teammates, examined the 'corpse' looking for clues as to what it was doing here. Not entirely surprised, he located the Akatsuki signet ring upon one of his fingers. Slipping the ugly-looking bit of metal off the wooden finger, Naruto turned to look at Kurama. Seeing his nii-san injured, Naruto turned away from the body and made his way to the redhead.

Kurama watched for a moment as Naruto examined the body before turning his attention to the rest of his collected team. Seeing the looks of shock on their faces he smiled slightly before wincing as another wave of pain hit him, saying 'don't ignore me now, I'm just getting started!' Gritting his teeth he pulled a small seed from his hair and placed it inside the wound. Using a little bit of youki to stimulate the growth of the plant, he watched as it spread through the wound and sealed it up, both the entry and exit holes. The plant would hold everything together with its tiny vines until he had a moment and spare chakra to heal it. At the moment the success of the mission was more important than the wound. The hole wouldn't get any worse, although it'd cause pain, and he needed all the chakra he could get for the next battle.

Standing from his kneeling position, Kurama walked up to Naruto and gave his shoulder a slight, comforting squeeze. Naruto gave him a small, but true, smile and slipped the Akatsuki ring into his hand. Examining the bit of metal work, Kurama frowned slightly. So this was the signet ring of the band of missing-nin causing trouble all over the place...

"Kurama?" a wary voice interrupted his musings. Kakashi's eye was serious as he examined the redhead in front of him. Seeing that he had the ninja's attention, he asked, "Why did you bring us along if you two have such hidden skills?"

A small smile touched Kurama's lips. "Because each of you has unique skills that Naruto and I may or may not be able to do up to par... For instance, your Sharingan, jutsu inventory, and experience in ninja matters is priceless. Gai, you and your student's amazing taijutsu skills could become imperative if we run into someone or something that makes nin- and genjutsu useless. Neji can see chakra pathways and his Byakugan is incredibly useful for seeing around the area. Sakura has more medical training than I do, and Tenten's abilities with weapons are perfect for long range attacks and if we run into another weapons user that has things we've never heard of. Over all, a very useful team. Naruto and I may be two perfect killing machines with many skills, but we don't have some of the skills that you all do or the experience of the jounin."

After the rather long-winded and thorouogh explanation, no one was really willing to question Kurama further and looked ready to follow his orders without complaints.

"Nice speech, Kura-chan," Naruto said with a smirk.

Kurama glared playfully at him before turning back to the group. "Now, I can still sense another malicious presence inside of Suna. I want Gai, Lee, Tenten and Sakura to watch our backs and help out if things go bad. Gai is the leader of Team B. Team A consists of Kakashi, Neji, Naruto, and me. We're going to attack the enemy alien. I will be leading with an attack to confuse the enemy, and I want all of you to try to take him out as soon as possible. Once we're out there you have the discretion to come up with whatever strategies possible to protect Gaara and Suna. Any questions?"

When no on said anything, Kurama smiled grimly and motioned them to follow him into Sunagakure.

_-Toki Mirage-_


End file.
